Warner Bros. adaptation of Akira put on hold (again)

Despite being approved by the studio like 3 months ago all pre-production for a new adaptation of Akira has been stopped for the fourth time. Apparently there are still kinks in the film's budget that they are trying to work out. If they can't solve the issues by the end of January the project could very well be axed completely.
So far Garrett Hedlund (aka, Sam in Tron: Legacy) is the only confirmed actor. Kristen Stewart was offered the role of Kei, with no acceptance or denial as far as I know, and Ken Wattanabe has been in talks to replace Gary Oldman as The Colonel, but that is all rumored. There is no official confirmation on anything except Hedlund being cast as Shotaro Kaneda. Personally I think casting non-Asians in a film like this is a bit odd and fans might find it offensive. But then again, there are a lot of Anime and Manga freaks out there that aren't Asian so I guess you never know.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/169151-live-action-akira-put-on-hold-

Even if these issues get worked out and pre-production is given the green light again, I highly doubt we will see this film until mid to late 2013 if not 2014. Not unless they rushed the hell out of production if it is given the go ahead.