Slash Film reports a rumor that Zac Efron has been offered the lead role in “Akira,” the upcoming live-action adaptation of the manga series from “The Book of Eli” director Albert Hughes. The report itself strongly underlines that this is just a rumor for now, and we’ll echo their sentiment: don’t take Efron’s casting as gospel.

But if Efron is taking the lead role in “Akira,” it’s almost certainly for the part of Shotaro Kaneda, the young leader of a motorcycle gang called The Capsules. He’s best friends with Tetsuo, a troubled youth with undiscovered psychic powers. Once Tetsuo taps into his destructive telepathic abilities, he becomes drunk with power, forcing Kaneda to lead the charge against his very best friend.

Last we heard, there were rumors that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would star in the film as Tetsuo. The “Brick” actor certainly didn’t deny the talk in June of last year, saying that “you never know” if he might play a role in the film. Additionally, the manga adaptation comes courtesy of Gordon-Levitt’s “Inception” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way production company, adding some credibility to the possibility of his casting. For his own part, DiCaprio has said that he won’t star in the film. [Source]