Kristen Stewart has been approached to take on the main female role in the reimagining of Akira.

The live-action adaptation of the iconic magna comic is set to start shooting in March following a script rewrite by Steve Kloves, and bosses have offered the Twilight: Saga beauty the part of Kei, a young medium who becomes the love interest for the main character, teen biker gang member Kaneda.

The original story - focusing on Kaneda and his friend Tetsuo (who has yet to be cast) - was set in post-nuclear war Tokyo in 2019, while the new movie is expected to take place in New York. Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy and Kristen's boyfriend and Twilight: Saga co-star Robert Pattinson have all been approached for the role of Tetsuo - who is saved from a medical experiment by his friend.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way production company is working on the $300 million project for Warner Brothers with Allen and Albert Hughes directing. The intention is to make two films, each covering three books in the six-part series. An animated version of Akira has already been made, released in Japan in 1988.