Imagine an art show that focuses on “prominent characters of fiction and their often creative ways of getting around.”  If that sounds cool, then I recommend checking out the new Hero Complex Gallery show called “Righteous Rides…And the Dudes Who Drive Them” that opened in Los Angeles tonight.  The show is located at 2020 South Robertson Blvd., Studio D (90034) and it’s filled with artwork based on the rides from Blade Runner, Akira, Bullitt, Back to the Future, Star Wars, James Bond, Ferris Bueller, Prometheus, Transformers, Up, Star Trek, and so many others it’s too many to list here.  The most important thing to know is that the artwork is really well done and it’s definitely worth the drive.

However, since most of you live outside of Los Angeles, I took pictures of everything on display and after the jump you can check out about 70 images from the show.

Imagine that you’re a struggling artist.   You’ve got undeniable talent, your friends all think you’re great at what you do, and your family’s supportive of you… but no one else seems to be paying attention to your work.  One day, you upload a photo of your latest creation—a hand-drawn movie poster—to your websbite, and something you’ve always hoped would happen finally does:  a few key people notice the poster, share it with others, and now all of ‘em want to pay you for a copy of it.  Over the course of one frantic day, you go from being almost completely unknown… to having an inbox filled with questions, PayPal receipts, and maybe even a few offers for future work.  It’s what you’ve been hoping would happen, but are you prepared for it?

This is what happened to artist Alexander Iaccarino over the past month.  His take on the animated 80’s classic Akira put him on the radar of hundreds—if not thousands—of art collectors recently, and in the time since he’s had to adapt to his newfound success.  With a brand-new poster (based on Sony’s upcoming The Last of Us) debuting this weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo, Iaccarino sat down with Limited Paper to describe what it’s been like (and to help us give away a few copies of that new poster).  Meet me after the jump, folks.

A few weeks back, Limited Paper pointed you in the direction of a brand-new poster based on the 80’s manga classic, Akira.  That piece—created by a relative newcomer by the name of Alexander Iaccarino—was impressive enough to go from “virtually unknown” to “completely sold out” in just under 24 hours.  Indeed, we immediately picked up a 24x36” edition of the poster, and (if your emails are any indication) so did a bunch of you.

Well, since we all placed our orders on the same day, it’s likely that—like us– you’re wondering when said poster is gonna arrive.  This week, we requested an update on Akira’s shipping progress, and were delighted when Alex got back to us with good news and some exclusive new photos.  Wanna check out those photos, find out what Alex had to say, and learn when your posters might start arriving?  Meet me after the jump, folks.

After the madness that was Comic-Con 2012, things have been a little more quiet than usual on the Limited Paper front.  But don’t worry!  We’re not cutting back.  Truth is, we’ve just had a ton of catching-up to do here at Collider HQ:  film set visits that needed to be reported, interviews to transcribe, booze-soaked canoe trips to document–there were times that it felt like our non-poster-related reporting would never end.

But today we’re back with a brand-new installment of your preferred Collider.com column, and there’s much to share.  What’s Mondo doing this weekend in Kansas City?  What artists are taking part in Acid-Free Gallery’s Myths and Monsters shows?  Wanna know where you can get a sweet Akira poster?  Any Ken Taylor fans in the audience?  There’s a ton of answers waiting for you after the jump, my fellow screenprint-enthusiasts.

While the live-action Akira may never surpass the original in the minds of fans, this live-action version of Shotaro Kaneda’s cherry-red motorcycle certainly does the trick. Built over the span of seven years at a cost of $121,000 by Akira fan, Masashi Teshima, this replica is officially recognized by Akira creator, Katsuhiro Otomo. Teshima is currently riding across Japan in order to raise money and awareness for a children’s autism charity.  He’ll end up in Tokyo where the bike will be put on exhibit for Otomo where visitors can take pictures with the iconic ride.  Proceeds from the exhibit will go to help the victims of last year’s earthquakes and tsunami. While the live-action version of Akira is still mired in development hell, you can hit the jump to check out what Kaneda’s sweet ride looks like in real life.

Opening today is director Jonathan Liebesman’s (Battle: Los Angeles) Wrath of the Titans.  In the sequel to Clash of the Titans, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is tasked with stopping the titans and saving Zeus (Liam Neeson) from Hades’ stranglehold (Ralph Fiennes). The film also stars Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell and Danny Huston.  And for those wondering how the sequel turned out, Wrath of the Titans is what I hoped Clash of the Titans would be.  It’s got a solid story, incredible effects, and the 3D is really well done.  I’ve seen it twice (including IMAX 3D) and it’s definitely recommended.  For more on the film, here’s five clips.

During my interview with Kebbell, we talked about how he got involved in the project, what did he want to bring to his character, what surprised him about making the movie, and what’s his favorite director, actor and movie.  In addition, we talked about director Zal Batmanglij‘s (Sound of My Voice) The East and his thoughts on the live-action Akira.  Hit the jump to watch.

The live-action adaptation of the manga/anime Akira has apparently sunk back into development hell.  The movie was beginning to move into pre-production after having cast Garrett Hedlund as Kaneda, and Warner Bros. was in various stages of negotiations with Kristen Stewart, Gary Oldman, and Helena Bonham Carter.  The studio was also trying to find the film’s other male lead to play Tetsuo.  Wrath of the Titans actor Toby Kebbell was one of the actors being considered, and he was excited for the chance to play the part until he read the script.

Hit the jump for what Kebbell, a fan of the original manga and anime, had to say about Warners’ take on the story.

While a live-action adaptation of the manga/anime Akira has been in the works for a few years, the film actually looked like it would finally come to fruition until Warner Bros. put a halt on production to further develop the script and lower the budget. Producers Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Andrew Lazar, and director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) are currently working to make those changes, but it’s been a few months and we haven’t heard much movement on the project. Garrett Hedlund was set as the lead and Kristen Stewart, Helena Bonham Carter, and Ken Watanabe were in various stages of negotiations before the studio had second thoughts. However, today some nifty concept artwork made its way online from a previous incarnation of the live-action adaptation. The storyboards are from when Ruairi Robinson was attached to the project and they give us an idea of what his version of Akira would have looked like.

Hit the jump to check out the concept artwork.

A post-apocalyptic war torn neo-Tokyo, Greek statues come to chorus girl dancing life, a psychedelic Snow White with a sprinkling of Bambi fetishism and some hard-core erotic and amusing (are the two ever mutually exclusive?) Spanish shorts.

This past week, the Regent Showcase hosted the 3^rd Annual Los Angeles Animation Film Festival. The four-day fest boasted 35mm screenings of The Iron Giant, Fantastic Planet, Gulliver’s Travels, Team America, Grave of the Fireflies and honoree Bill Plympton’s The Tune, amongst many others. For a full rundown of just what screened and when, might I direct you to the festival’s website. For the day one highlights – which included a screening of Akira and a bunch of X-rated shorts, hit the jump.

Animation lovers will want to get to Los Angeles by Wednesday, March 7^th and plan on staying until Sunday, March 11^th for the 3^rd annual Los Angeles Animation Festival. Events will include: the West Coast premiere of A Monster in Paris, a cast and crew screening of The Iron Giant, a return to the screen for Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s Team America: World Police and a 10^th anniversary screening of Shrek, honoring its win for the first Oscar for Animated Feature. The festival will also screen the classic animated film, Akira, on the big screen and will honor veteran animator, Bill Plympton. Hit the jump for the full press release and a teaser trailer for the festival.

Studios have been trying to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to their blockbusters.  The Lone Ranger had to wrangle for a lower budget, and Paradise Lost, and The Dark Tower have been put into limbo as studios try to figure out how to bring down costs.  THR reports that Warner Bros. has put their adaptation of the manga/anime Akira on hold as they try to figure out how to re-work the script to lower the budget.  Producers Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Andrew Lazar, and director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) are trying to make the necessary changes, and Steve Kloves (Harry Potter) may be brought back to do another re-write after already having done one a year ago.

Hit the jump for more including a few updates.

Opening in limited release this weekend is director Tomas Alfredson’s (Let the Right One In) great new movie, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Based on the 1974 British novel by John le Carre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the first novel of the “Karla Trilogy” and the first film installment that may spawn a franchise.  The spy thriller features Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch, just to name a few.  Set during the Cold War era, the story follows former spy George Smiley (Oldman) through his investigation of a possible double agent within MI-6.  It’s a hell of a movie and one you should definitely see.

Anyway, I was recently able to speak with most of the cast at the New York City press junket.  During my interview with Oldman, we talked about how he found Smiley’s glasses (it was a very important part of finding the character), what’s his karaoke song, the rumors that he might be doing Akira, and working with the IMAX cameras on The Dark Knight Rises. Hit the jump to watch.

It’s been difficult to pin down what the Jaume Collet-Serra‘s adaptation of Akira will be about since the property was originally a manga before it was turned into an anime, and so there are two different sources for Steve Kloves‘ screenplay.  We knew that the movie would change the post-apocalyptic setting from “Neo-Tokyo” to “Neo-Manhattan”, but now a full synopsis for the film has possibly leaked online.  Hit the jump to find out what’s going down in the live-action adaptation and how the new movie has drastically changed the protagonist’s profession.

Although Gary Oldman recently confirmed that he had been approached to play The Colonel in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Akira, we’re now hearing from Twitch that the role has been offered to Ken Watanabe (Inception). While this move should silence some of the critics who claimed the production was “white-washing” the cast, the deal is still in the offer stage and nothing has been confirmed. However, since the studio was testing actors for the role of Tetsuo earlier this week, we may have some confirmed casting news for you soon.

Akira, the adaptation of the 1980s manga by Katsuhiro Otomo and the 1988 classic anime film by the same name, has Garret Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) and Kristen Stewart in talks to play Kaneda and Kei respectively. Hit the jump for more on the project.

Gary Oldman is one of the more versatile actors working today, so it makes sense that he’s a pretty in demand guy. One of the roles he’s currently being courted for is Jaume Collet-Sera’s adaptation of the manga/anime Akira. The Warner Bros. production is a top priority, and they recently found their male and female leads in Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) and Kristen Stewart. Word was that the studio wants Oldman for the Colonel role.

Steve recently got the chance to sit down with Oldman for the spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the actor addressed the Akira rumors by confirming that he’s been approached, but he says no decisions have been made. Additionally, Oldman talked about working with the IMAX cameras on The Dark Knight Rises, which he says will be “pretty epic”. He revealed that because the cameras are so loud, they have to dub all the dialogue after the fact.  Hit the jump for the full interview.