Hey folks, Harry here... Meeting Sonny Chiba last year was one of the great moments in my life. He was such a humble, gentle and jovial fellow, which was not at all what I was expecting. After all, he isn't known for playing smoothies in cinema. Earlier this year I was to meet with Chiba in Los Angeles, but that was when Fukasaku passed away. It fills me with glee that Sonny is going to have a part in what will go down as the last film that Kinji Fukasaku and Sonny Chiba worked on. Over their history of working together... They very much were the John Ford and John Wayne of Japanese cinema. Here ya go...
Hey Harry, Bunta here. Still tripping over the fact that not *everyone* got a chuckle over that fake Japanese KILL BILL poster a week ago. Go figure
Anyway, here’s a new tidbit about yet another movie, like KILL BILL, also set to feature the incredible SONNY CHIBA … Summer 03's BATTLE ROYALE 2! Ohhhh yeah! The piece ran in the Sports Nippon paper on the 24th, and my gurentai over at www.japattack.com did the translation. So check out her site and chant the memorable catchphrase "Viva Chiba" while you break shi*t with your head in the dojo. Buntastic.
"Sonny Chiba (age 64) will be acting in "BATTLE ROYALE 2", which becomes the late director Kinji Fukasaku's "posthumous work". Chiba who consented readily the request of Fukasaku's eldest son, Kenta (age 30) who inherited his father's last wish and took up a megaphone. Chiba says with deep emotion, "Kenta inherited rhythm and the method of shooting from Kinji Fukasaku" The participation of Chiba, who was a former student and a best friend, serves as a condolence to director Fukasaku who passed away in the middle of January.
Chiba first starred in Fukasaku's debut film "Furaibo Tantei, Akai Tani no Sangeki"(1961). He acted in 4 of Fukasaku's films in a row since then and went on to work with Fukasaku in 17 films.
At the request of Kenta, on Feb 19th, Chiba came to Tokyo hurriedly from Los Angeles, and started joining filming at the TOEI movie studio at Higashi Oizumi, Tokyo.
Chiba will perform as Makio Mimura, the role of the uncle of Shinji Mimura (Takashi Tsukamoto) who was one of the students in the 1st BR . Although it is an appearance in only one scene of recollection, it will be a pivitol scene that explains why the hero's Akiya Nanase (Tatsuya Fujiwara) has become a terrorist. Fukasaku had been thinking "What about Chiba doing this role", even from the 1st BR.
"Ready ... and action! " with the Kenta's energetic shout, Chiba performed with the members of the Japan Action Club (JAC), and gave an action-packed physical and emotional performance.
