Recently reported casting plans for the new live action Akira have drawn the ire of fans who believe the characters should be portrayed by Asian actors, reflecting the race of the characters in the source work (the Katushito Otomo manga). Actors being considered for the lead are Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix, according to a Deadline report last month. 

 

The two-film series, directed by the Hughes Brothers, is being re-set in New York (see "Hughes Brothers Helming Akira"). 

 

One source of protest activity has been Racebending.com, which was formed to protest the casting of The Last Airbender (see "Airbender Casting Controversy Grows"). The organization says that even with the relocation of the setting from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-New York, Asian actors would be very appropriate. “Because Asian Americans are present in every major city in the United States, there is no need to change the ethnicity of the main characters while resetting this story to Manhattan,” the group argues. “One out of ten Manhattan residents are Asian American and at 41% of the population, Asian Americans are the largest racial group in Lower Manhattan. Casting white actors for Asian lead characters will reinforce a glass ceiling and reduce opportunities for Asian American actors.”

 

Another locus has been actor George Sakei (Mr. Sulu), who’s been waging a Twitter campaign to put pressure on Warners. Among his tweets:

 

“Live action of anime classic Akira will use white actors. In related news, remake of Roots to star Mel Gibson. #ShameOnWB” – George Takei

 

Takei’s participation is generating ongoing publicity about the issue and increasing the numbers associated with online activity protesting the current casting plans. But the Avatar protests came to naught, so it’s unclear if this will be the time that casting plans change based on this kind of activism.