Ken Watanabe offered The Colonel in AKIRA

It looks like Warner Bros has fiinally cast a Japanese actor in Jaume Collet-Serra’s adaptation of Akira. Twitch is reporting that Ken Watanabe has been offered the role of The Colonel, that was initially offered to Gary Oldman. Apparently, Oldman and WB could not come to terms on a deal. Watanabe's other U.S. films have both been from Warner Bros., so this is a good fit.

I think that Watanabe was great in Inception and will be a great addition to this cast. What are your thoughts on this news?