It's good to have options. Last year, when director Jaume Collet-Serra was riding high off the heat of "Unknown," he took a look at a few projects including the long developing remake of "Le Cercle Rouge," he got shortlisted to directed blockbuster sequels "300: Battle Of Artemisia" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," he took on the vampire flick "Harker" and he wound up in the seat for "Akira." Well, with Warner Bros. recently putting that project on hold, they're turning their eye back to "Harker" and have a big star in talks to the lead.
Vulture reports that Russell Crowe is eyeing the film, which is a reimagining of the vampire tale you thought you knew. From a spec script by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, the story refreshes the lawyer Jonathan Harker as a Scotland Yard detective investigating the Count's series of murders in England. Good concept, actually. But where this might fit into Crowe's busy schedule remains to be seen.
Next month he starts shooting Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables" and providing that all the pieces come together, he would spend the summer on a boat with animals or something in Darren Aronofksy's "Noah" (though no, he's not looking at "RoboCop" despite some reports out there). But it seems suddenly Hollywood is back in love Crowe after what seemed to be a bit of a break. As for "Akira," Collet-Serra is still attached to direct, but the film is being re-worked with rewrites slated to happen, so it won't be going until after "Harker" at the earliest.
