The planned live-action remake of "Akira" has a long and tortuous history that dates back more than a decade, with a handful of directors and no fewer than a half-dozen screenwriters involved at one one point or another.

With a new rumor suggesting the Warner Bros. adaptation could spring back to life (again), this time with Justin Lin at the helm, concept art has resurfaced from an earlier version of the film, remind us that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Chis Evans were once envisioned as its stars.

This was sometime before Garrett Hedlund signed on for the incarnation that almost went into production before the studio abruptly pulled the plug in 2012.

Unearthed by Bloody Disgusting, the art was first posted a couple of years ago by director Ruairí Robinson, who had the reins of "Akira" before Warner Bros. hired the Hughes brothers.

While fans of Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal cyberpunk manga, and subsequent anime, might balk at the idea of Evans and Gordon-Levitt in the roles of Kaneda and Tetsuo (renamed "Travis"), the art itself is pretty impressive.

More "Akira" art can be found on Robinson's website.'

(via io9.com)