There are a lot of Hollywood-watchers that are also big fans of “Akira,” and those people have been very adamant about their ideas concerning the movie adaptation of seminal manga and anime film “Akira.” Mainly, their ideas consist of “This movie is going to suck.” Those people who have been against the film from day one finally have their prayers answered. According to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter, “Akira” has shut down its production offices in Vancouver. According to the site, the cause for shutting down the production for yet another time is due to issues concerning the budget and casting. According to one insider, everyone is being told…

As usual, this Movie News Cheat Sheet is packed with text, but this week, much of that text is geared towards describing the slew of brand new stills that dropped over the past seven days. Not only did we get seven new images from John Carter, but a bunch from The Dark Knight Rises and Prometheus, too. In casting news, word just got out that Gary Oldman turned down the part of The Colonel in Akira and, in rather off-beat casting news, the industry is shocked to learn that a casting associate on Super 8 as well as a number of other child actor-heavy productions is a registered sex offender….

The theme of this week’s Cheat Sheet? Casting. Well, for the most part. We’ve got the best of the best including J.J. Abrams’ hopes to cast Benicio del Toro as his villain in Star Trek 2 as well as a slew of potential recruits for Warner Bros’ Akira. It’s been confirmed that Jennifer Lopez is producing a Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego movie, but now the question is, will she star in it, too? Then there’s Andy Serkis who just earned a solid paycheck for signing on for Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2 as well as subsequent Apes films. Yes, this Cheat Sheet is certainly…

Well, it’s not over yet. Warner Brothers has tapped Jaume Collet-Serra (“Unknown”) to direct the “Akira” live-action movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Not only is Serra now signed on to direct, the budget for the film has dropped tremendously. Right now, the budget is somewhere around the middling budget of the remake of “Clash of the Titans.” Also, the most recent draft of the screenplay has been written by “Harry Potter” screenwriter Steve Kloves. The story behind Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga “Akira”–a cyber-punkish take on a post-nuclear attack Tokyo and the psychic mutations that happen as a result–is almost as tough to follow as the various changes there have been…

Title: Unknown Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra Starring: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and January Jones While Dark Castle Entertainment, the studio behind the new Liam Neeson thriller ‘Unknown,’ was busy promoting the action film, the actor’s fans undoubtedly questioned if the movie would be reminiscent of his 2009 sleeper hit ‘Taken.’ Both films are focused on Neeson’s character, an American, who travels to Europe and puts himself through physical danger to put his life back together. While the plotline for ‘Unknown’ unfortunately doesn’t stay entirely true to ‘Taken’s format, Neeson still proves that as an older actor, he can still equally balance action while developing a sophisticated character. ‘Unknown’ follows Dr….

Liam Neeson has signed to star in Dark Castle/Warner Bros’ upcoming thriller “Unknown White Male.” Jaume Collet-Serra (“Orphan”) is directing, with Joel Silver producing. “Unknown White Male,” written by Karl Gajdusek, follows a doctor visiting Berlin with his wife, when he is in a car accident and finds himself in a coma. When he finally does wake up, he finds out that he has been replaced in life by another man with a mysterious plan, and he must scramble to find out who this man is, and what he wants. Shooting is due to begin January 2010 in Berlin. Stay tuned for more on “Unknown White Male” right here at…