© Rex Features / Picture Perfect
According to Deadline, the studio is looking to begin filming on the manga adaptation in August with Albert Hughes (The Book Of Eli) directing from a script by Steve Kloves (Harry Potter).
Pattinson, Garfield and James McAvoy are being sought for the role of Tetsuo, a biker gang member who develops psychic abilities following a motorcycle accident.
Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine and Joaquin Phoenix have been sent the script with a view to playing Kaneda, the biker gang leader who eventually becomes Tetsuo's enemy.
Akira will be based on Katsuhiro Ôtomohis's 1988 animated version of his six-volume manga, which was set in a neon-lit post-apocalyptic 'New Tokyo' in 2019. The movie will relocate the story to New York, with 'New Manhattan' the location.
Leonardo DiCaprio is producing Akira through his Appian Way company.
> Follow @dsatthemovies on Twitter for our latest movie news, reviews and interviews
