Cool News
Keanu Is In...A Samurai Movie??
Merrick here...
Chris Morgan, who wrote FAST & FURIOUS and WANTED, is scripting 47 RONIN for Keanu Reeves.
Pic is a priority project for Universal, and it is unusual to see a first-timer entrusted to helm a film with a large budget and tentpole aspirations.
[EDIT]
Actioner "47 Ronin" tells the famous fact-based story of a band of samurai swordsmen who avenge the death of their master in 18th century Japan. The Chris Morgan ("Wanted") script was tailored so that the half-Asian Reeves can play one of the swordsmen. The picture mixes the fantastical elements of films like "The Lord of the Rings" with battle scenes of the sort found in "Gladiator" and "300."
...says Variety HERE.
Carl Rinsch, who was announced as director of the forthcoming ALIEN prequel before word came that Ridley Scott would likely take the reins, will direct RONIN. Rinsch comes to filmmaking from a commercial background, some of which can be seen here:
That Technosaurus thing in the top video is cooler than anything we saw in either TRANSFORMERS movie...
Merrick on Twitter
[EDIT]
Actioner "47 Ronin" tells the famous fact-based story of a band of samurai swordsmen who avenge the death of their master in 18th century Japan. The Chris Morgan ("Wanted") script was tailored so that the half-Asian Reeves can play one of the swordsmen. The picture mixes the fantastical elements of films like "The Lord of the Rings" with battle scenes of the sort found in "Gladiator" and "300."
Merrick on Twitter
-
+ Expand All
-
etc.
-
I think he'd sell it as a samurai no problem. If they're dropping 300 as an anchor for the style they're going for I think this could be another Matrix for him.
-
it's a keanu sort of part. his actioners are usually his best stuff. and i'd like him to play an asian part. still reeling from the asian gangsters in "street kings" calling him "white boy" over and over.
-
i know kung fu
-
i thought he was canadian with some hawaii thrown in, hence his name.
-
That first ad is awesome.
-
...types of battle scenes. That doesn't tell me much.
-
From Wikipedia: "Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Patricia Bond (née Taylor), a costume designer/performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., a geologist. Reeves's mother is English, and his father is an American of Hawaiian and Chinese descent."If his father is part Hawaiian and part Chinese, he is one quarter Asian at most, and that's only if dad was a full half Asian, which is unclear.
-
... HE MUST BE A FUCKING JAPANESE! Put him in a samurai flick with Ken Watanabe! Make him say horribly phonetically memorized japanese sentences! Have some FUCKING KUNG FU in it! NO ONE WILL NOTICE!
-
Keanu can.
-
...into the story. LAST SAMURAI made me feel embarrassed.
-
Although Reeves is getting old, he handled himself well in The Matrix so I think he'll be fine.
-
is off the table?
They wait too long and Spike'll be almost 50 -
Gotta disagree, i think Last Samurai is a fine film, and Cruise gives his best 'acting' performance.
-
Just looked up Keanu on wiki
He's already 45, I thought he was closer to 40 still
Spike should be mid-30's max -
...but what else is new?
-
...with special props going out to the Saturn one. I'd like to see what this guy can do with a big budget, an imaginative script and the silver screen.
-
...just DANCES WITH SMURFS in Japan.Actually I didn't hate it. It was better than I expected in fact...a little by the numbers, and it irritates me when a movie feels the need to focus on an American guy to make us care. It's like the disaster movie that has the world crashing to an end and stops to focus on saving the hero's dog from the comet/volcano/earthquake/tsunami or whatever.
-
Has some vision in there. I don't know if that vision is right for The Last Samurai 2 (once again not starring a samurai), but I'm intrigued. Keanu knows how to pick movies that play to his limited strengths.
-
Is that it glorifies those who were IN THE WRONG! The Samurai, while romanticized over time, were actually a street gang! They terrorized, extorted and butchered the people of Japan for thousands of years.
-
it "46 Ronin, and a dude"? Last samurai was good enough for what it was, but was so painfully close to the story of Saigo Takamori in some elements, just wished they'd chucked cruise, called Watabani Saigo (they are physical matches) and tell that story.. oh, and of course the little fact that samurai had been using rifles since the 1500s.. you know.. over 200 years before the movie setting.. by the 47 ronin story is a god one.. just hope it'll be done well.
-
Nov 18, 2009 10:28:48 AM CST
How about Tom Cruise and Denzil Washington?
by isleptwithkathybatesandallthatigotwasthi
They'd be equally convincing!
-
...that came up with this one?
-
It has its flaws, but the practice duel with bokken was one of the most impressively filmed and choreographed fight sequences I've ever seen. Yes, the rest of the film falls short, but it was at the very least, "good" (Cruise even gives a decent performance; a minor miracle in itself).
I'll defend this post, I tell you... -
This is one of the most badass stories of all time, and it's a true story. The samurai are servants of their master who was, if I recall correctly, forced to commit ritual seppukku. So his samurai become ronins (masterless samurai), homeless bums, and drunks. The only thing is, they're not. They're assuming these roles so years later they meet on a specified date, and wreak vengeance upon the lord who had their master take his own life.
-
and fertile ground for a film. The problem is that there are many historical and cultural factors that are not well known, but crucial to the plot.
Though the "fantastical" comment makes me uneasy (and, I admit, also intrigued). This could turn out great or awful... -
Color me interested!
-
Sounds right up his alley.
-
...that movie rocks my world...
-
...is pretty goddamned cool.
-
Nov 18, 2009 11:03:20 AM CST
...fuck this, where's my evolving robot hot-chick movie?...
by flickapoo
...that's what I want to see.I completely forgot about RONIN. I should see that again.
-
Nov 18, 2009 11:05:35 AM CST
...hell, I'd even settle for a parkour hoodie wearing robot...
by flickapoo
...movie.
-
WHOAAAAAAAA! I TOTALLY DIDN'T KNOW REEVES WAS HALF ASIAN DUDE! no, really, this is news to me
-
Give this guy the money to turn the 'mersh into a feature film. That's what they should do...
-
I want to see a movie based on the evolution of technology ad.
-
PERMANENTLY. That was anime GENIUS, it SO does not need to be done live-action, and sullied with CG "wizardry."
Besides, if ANYONE were to play Spike, it should be Joseph Gordon-Levitt. End of story. -
If anyone would have done it you'd think it would be the master. I mean I love The Seven Samurai, and that was fiction. Imagine what he could have done with this.
-
Did jackie chan score on jen love hewitt in tuxedo? Nope. But Keanu's dicked chix like tank girl and sandra bullock in the movies (ok maybe after the movie speed as far as sandra's concerned). So stop with all this crap about him not being azn enough. Hollywood doesn't see azn males as sex symbols and won't anytime soon, heck we got a mulatto prez before that happened and I trust the box office more than I do how they count votes.
-
If anything? I would think at best it would create a title change.
-
Nov 18, 2009 11:35:28 AM CST
I have the script, turns out its Ted Theodore Logan
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
EXCELLENT!
-
Fuck this race shit anyway I don't even care any more. If a movie is good then that's it.
-
Is based on the true story of frenchman Jules Brunet, I think its a great movie but people instantly dismiss the premise or maybe because its Tom Cruise. And FETT dude give the samurai a little more credit than that, they were much more than a street gang.
-
even though I am 100% irish I am currently in spain. last night I saw something that made me shudder and make my skin crawl. the trailer for leap year. amy adams is sweet and cute as a button and very talented actress to boot lithgow is a legend. but what i saw made me vomit. once again ireland was portrayed offensively as a sheep ridden pub drinking backward place. I have had enough of this bollocks to last me a life time. so just for the record. I want to make things a bit clear. The days of the country pub are over. recession and a irish govt clamp down on drink driving have all but iradicated them. property developers bought up and rezoned all the green land. most of them have been iradicated in turn by the recession. as has the hotel industry, i am sure its the same worldwide. any one on this site who is of irish descent on this site should go to empire website and check out the trailer. and then boycott the film immediately.
-
Go see Red Cliff instead.
-
Keanu can play a Japanese
-
legend as the one mentioned in the DeNiro flick RONIN?
-
That's what I thought too.
-
...I'm half Irish and I know for a FACT that Ireland is 100% green windswept coastline, sheep, whitewashed stone cottages, local pubs, and eccentric villagers.FUCK YOU YOU LYING FAKE IRISH NOT-EMERALDMAN!
-
I..am...a...samurai..swordsman! I also think he should be the only surfing samurai.
-
Kurosawa probably didn't do the story because there have been several film iterations of this story and Inagaki had just done it in 63.
-
.....fucking ruh-tards who said kung-fu is Japanese, you would be wrong. Kung-fu is a martial art of Chinese origin. Fucking idiots!
-
If a pet doesn't have sense enough to run when it's master runs, it doesn't deserve to live. I'm sure as hell not stopping if deadly shit is raining down on my head.
-
Nov 18, 2009 1:32:40 PM CST
That commercial was awesome - where can I buy a robotic t-rex?
by requisitemonkey
-
Seriously, the last decent Keanu movie.
-
Everyone was saying Kung-Fu in a sarcastic way because we all know it's Chinese. But it's "asian-y" enough for idiots in hollywood to not know the difference.
-
I just want Gendy to finish it dammit! Give us that final Cartoon Network movie and finish the masterpiece.
-
great film version of the "47 Ronin" story. I just recently saw it, and was very impressed, even if the dvd edition I saw wasn't of the greatest quality. You should check it out if you have any interest in this sort of thing. Toshiro Mifune is in it, and that should be enough.
-
Keanu needs to be in Westerns, where his talents can really be taken advantage of. He would be an excellent fence post.
-
Nov 18, 2009 2:08:29 PM CST
German Saturn Evolving Hot Chick Commercial: The Movie
by darth_inedible
Directed by McG. Starring Milla Jovovich as a hot robot chick who evolves from a gorilla monkey robot thing in a world of robot dinosaurs and stuff. Watch as hot chick fights the forces of coal powered t-rex guy(Gerard Butler) who's reign of terror over awesome Saturn Robot Commercial Land is threatened by the growing hot chicks with glowing insides and robot gorilla rebellion. Also starring Seth Green as Hot Chick's kickass robotic fly sidekick.
-
Fuck off with this one, Hollywood. I'm not buying it... but I will see it.
-
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA A HAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAAAA,oh boy.
its a pity kurasawa is not with us anymore.i am pretty sure he would have make a masterpiece movie with that script and ofc Reeves as his lead.BOUAHAHAHA. -
...were pretty much the same as Ravage in Transformers 2
-
Like this bus is totally gonna blow up if it goes under 50 mph."
"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven, is that it? *cheese eating grin*" Why hasn't this man won an Oscar? -
Pop quiz, dude?? What am I gonna do, What am I gonna do, whoaa."
-
This is an immensely bad idea.
While the story of the 47 Ronin stands as one of THE most overdone tales EVER in Japanese media (movies, TV shows done about 'em), it is still a story so very distinctly Japanese. Think of a translation of Limbaugh's (or even someone on the U.S. extreme left) radio shows to a Japanese audience and they'll get some of it, but, will scratch their heads at some things. That's what the 47 Ronin story is like. These guys, despite their samurai-ness, went beyond their obligations as interpreted by even the most extreme Western viewpoint not to mention us wonder why such a story should take so long (oh, maybe they'll truncate it. Yawn, 'nother genius move). That's what methinks. -
Tha flick was a piece of nut sucking shit. Any director of any movie that wants to be like it should be kicked in the fucking head.
-
and during the 1990s and the last few years. property developers came rezoned the land and built on it. crooks. there no rural pubs in ireland anymore. they have all been wiped out. smoking ban took care of them. there is a clamp down on rural drinking in pubs.
-
to go and <ireland are france by a goal. 19 mins and ireland will be in the world cup. trap your a genius.
-
they lead france by a goal to nil. happy days.
-
Lebanon is in Asia, last I checked, so technically he's Asian.
-
Absurdly ignorant statement unless you now want to include any and every feudal, militaristic or caste based society. Street gang? Really. I guess you should limit yourself to teletubbies. Obviously movies like Gladiator, 300, Kingdom of God, etc ad nauseum should never be made based on your myopic viewpoint. Its apparent you havent studied Japanese History outside of 'Samurai Champloo' so hike your butt to college and take some courses...not just on Japanese history but history in general. You just eliminated most Asian cultures along with the Greeks, Romans, Vikings,Europeans etc from consideration from having movies made about them with one ignorant poorly rationalized post. Bravo. Study more talk less.
As to Reeves....the story of the AKO clans revenge is classic and continues to resonate for a reason. It isnt an action story although Im sure they will focus more on the snowy night then on what the men of AKO did leading up to it. Im sure we will probably see Watanabe in it as Camberlain Oishi even though reeves is about teh right age to play him that would be a travesty. Maybe Keannu can play Lord Kira and the film will close with Oishi taking his head. All in all trying to shoehorn Reeves in to this resounds with an epic fail. -
Scarlet McBewbs was cast as The Black Widow
-
I'm a bit skeptical of writer Chris Morgan, though he could prove me wrong, but I really like Carl Rinsch's kinetic visual style. I can absolutely see him grabbing "47 Ronin" and driving the story, hard.
Not sure how I feel about Keanu as a samurai, but he's not necessarily a bad choice. I mean, "The Matrix" showed us what he was physically capable of, and I enjoyed his work in those films.
Overall, I'm excited to see what Rinsch brings to the big screen. -
ME GRIMLOCK!
-
SHOULD NOT be a samurai, ninja, or be in any martial art picture!
-
Nov 18, 2009 5:51:26 PM CST
Starring Marlon Brando as the voice of John Techno-saurus!
by savagedave
"You crazy car, I don't know whether to eat you or kiss you...."
-
Well, technically, he is 100% asian, being born in Lebanon and Lebanon being in ASIA.
-
And I have to AWKWARDLY LOOK AWAY when he is dressed as a fucking 1940s WW2 japanese yellowface. Also reminds me of the final scene in Jerry Lewis "Which way to the front"
-
and I know kung fu...
-
The Last Samurai wasn't based on a Frenchman. It was semi based on an English Doctor called William Adamds from a period a bit before that time.
He then had it combined with the ending of the "Charge of the Light Brigade" movie that Cruise wanted to make but couldn't get it greenlit.
& Franklancer..I have to disgaree that Watanabe resembles Saigo. I live in Japan & from all the pictures & statues I've seen, Saigo was a big fat guy. -
This is Saigo. You really think he looked like Ken Watanabe? He looked more like a Japanese Ray Winstone:-).
http://www.flickr. com/photos/kwc/362276936/
Remove the spaces..blah blah. -
to get Western Audiences to watch it ?
Yeah I know I am cynical.
Enjoyed Last Samurai, Tom Cruise was a little annoying, Ken Watanabe was the star of the show and excellent. -
Told a number of times in Japanese films.
-
Was very impressed on a number of levels, a) athletic ability of the actors, flips and sword fighting galore, b)I stayed awake the whole time, for those that don't know Kabuki goes on for hours and with some of the ones I have gone to with my wife where there is little to no action, its hard to keep your concentration.
I am sure anyone who knows anything about Kabuki will understand my wife's advice before I saw my first Kabuki, "Don't fall in love with any of the female characters". -
the guy has talent but can he tell a story..guess we'll find out
-
But if I did they'd have a samurai
-
Nov 18, 2009 8:38:00 PM CST
These Cocksuckers only Emphasize Race when it suits them
by darfurontherocks2
I think that Keanu is half-Lebanese also...
-
Nov 18, 2009 8:58:30 PM CST
If Keeanu fights a white dude, please let it be Bill S Preston -
by annie the pod racer
It'll be like in Heat, 2 great dudes on the same frame talkin shit!
-
Nov 18, 2009 11:48:55 PM CST
"Don't fall in love with any of the female characters"
by the dark shite
Miyamoto_Musashi, your wikfe gives good advice when it comes to Kabuki. Those girls a bit butch;-).
-
Let Keanu go make his Samurai movie... I'm not necessarily for it, but let the kid have his fun.
-
That movie f#ck#ng owns.
-
Cos they can't make a Japanese-Asian film without Zhang Ziyi.
-
Tom Cruise played an American, so I don't know what you're all bitching about.
-
Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story!
-
Fantastic elements? WTF? And also, can we please get a popular 20 - 30 year old Japanese leading man to play some of these roles? They make films over there too, you know, and not all of them are "Tokyo Gore Police." A lot of them are quite good. Hell, even draw from those. Bring in Riki Takeuchi!
-
out of the world cup. france will get knocked out.
-
I mean in that they didn't even try for a remotely Asian guy. Keanu is half asian or something. I think he could pass, for asian that is not an actor. lol certainly not an actor.
-
happen to keanu reeeves career. as a young actor he really was very good indeed. I loved bill and ted and ted, point break and speed. and he showed huge promise in parenthood. but then something very strange happened. he made matrix and i do know that he suffered two huge tragedies during the making of those films. I think he was perfect when he was doing the valley surfer. like woah and no way and excellent. dude. but a certain malaise has crept in and now he will only do neo roles. shame really.
-
but if the ref last night didnt see henrys handball its a disgrace. alot of blame has to go to fifa. they ceded us against france. france go through as do portugal and ireland are out. I didnt get to see the game. ireland i believe played magnificently. henry said it was a handball and handled the ball twice but the ref said he didnt see it. and gallas delivered the fatal goal.
-
Why the fuck would they cast a "remotely Asian guy"? The character Tom Cruise played is an AMERICAN. A washed-up Civil War hero paid to teach the Japanese how to fight with modern weapons. Fuck me the people who post on this site are stupid.
-
And having him play a japanese samurai is just a really stupid idea. He doesn't look even remotely asian. Fucking idiots. Oh, and Wanted was one of the biggest piles of crap I've ever been subjected to. Bad script, bad movie, bad everything.
-
becuase of his beliefs...
-
Cooler than anything in Transformers, you say?
-
Nov 19, 2009 5:59:32 AM CST
Wookie_Weed Re:people who post on this site are stupid.
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
oh yeah, just head over to the Avatar TB, or read some of REVENGE_OF_FETTS finer ramblings on samurai being street gangs. Where the fuck these people get their info is beyond me. I know the internet is full of it yet these people find one story or site that conflicts with all known history, reason and common sense and embrace it as fact.
-
The point is he can play half asian. I'd buy it if I didn't know of him. Jesus christ! This sounds like a very cool geek project. What's the real problem here? come on! fess up! What's the real agenda?
-
Nov 19, 2009 6:14:48 AM CST
emeraldboy what the fuck are you going on about?
by player_two_has_entered_the_game
I don't think anyone is interested in Irish football but you. Wrong talkback, man. Try http://www.footballforums.net/forums/
-
"there were greem fieilds in ireland..
and during the 1990s and the last few years. property developers came rezoned the land and built on it. crooks. there no rural pubs in ireland anymore. they have all been wiped out. smoking ban took care of them. there is a clamp down on rural drinking in pubs. "
Ireland is still covered in green fields, just less of them.
There are still loads of rural pubs (I should know I'm down the road from one, and have been to quite a few different ones in the last year, and I don't get out much these days).
There is a clampdown on drink driving which has affected rural pubs negatively, but the country is still swarming with them. Get out of your own urban area and see. -
Or would be if done properly. In this case, it'll probably be shit.
Oh & for the Irish lads on here.. Ireland got knocked out 'cause Andy Reid wasn't involved during the qualifying stages, despite dropping God knows how many stone & being your most consistent, productive & creative player in the Premier League this season. -
Dude! you just about made me choke on my cereal with this!
"Like dude,...I'm totally a samurai...and I know Kung-Fu!"
-
hate to quote wiki but I can't find my book, "The film's plot is based on the 1876 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and also on the story of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War. The historical roles of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France in Japanese westernization are largely attributed to the United States in the film. These details, characters in the film and the real story are simplified for plot purposes; the film does not seek to duplicate history." Cruises' character was born in england but is a "naturalized American" William Adamds is only.. "Another possible inspiration of the movie is the life of William Adams, the first westerner given the rank of Samurai. William Adams, a ship captain who was shipwrecked in Japan in 1600, developed a unique friendship with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the military government that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. Coming from different and unknown cultures, the exchange of information and knowledge was a key highlight to the relationship between Adams and Tokugawa. Shogun, a 1975 novel by James Clavell, is a fictionalised account of Adams' exploits." I haven't read Shogun, but the one I read which had a section on Brunet seemed close to some of the events in the movie.
-
because of the premise of a westerner joining up, but you've helped me prove it happened more than once thanks dude. Have you read Shogun and is it any good?
-
I saw Cruise say himself in an interview that the film was inspired by William Adams.
That's how I also know that he wanted to make "The Charge of the light brigade" as a seperate movie, but couldn't get it made & so he shoehorned it into The Last Samurai. Having said that, it was an interview for British TV, so maybe he mentioned this Brunet guy in France. They all kiss arse to sell movies.Wiki isn't really a good source, but I'm sure they drew a lot from any westerners who hung out with the Samurai.
I haven't read Shogun, but after seeing the interview, I read a book called Samurai William which was a more factual account. It's pretty cool, although also a scary look into Samurai culture. I wouldn't have wanted to wash up on those shores back then! -
the story of Adams close relationship and put it over Brunets premise/job of a westerner being enlisted to teach, good point on the interview though haha And will have a look for the book you mentioned, cheers dude
-
Its criminal you havent reviewed or given an opinion on new british superhero show "Misfits"..first episode aired last monday and the second is tonight. Great first episode. Brilliant script,interesting characters,very promising. Its like a dirtier version of heroes (or xmen). What other show has a scene of one girl running from a psychotic killer being combined with a young hot chick giving some pretty good simulated head to a bottle.answer "misfits"
-
Don't forget Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's. However I find it ironic that American films are deemed racist if they have the buck toothed, so solly, meek scrawny, yes-man Japanese guy when every single chop socky martial arts flick made in Asia always has one of these guys. You can't have it both ways.
-
...he's a guy I knew back in high school....
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Kurtzman And Boborci Producing An Adaptation Of Anne Rice's Lestat Novel TALE OF THE BODY THIEF?? -- 308 total posts 154 posts
- HOUSE 2004-2012 -- 130 total posts 127 posts
- DOUGLAS TRUMBULL is going to destroy our minds and reveal awesome beyond our mortal imaginations! -- 101 total posts 101 posts
- Mike Fleming confirms AICN scoop on Sly & Arnold teaming up in THE TOMB!!! -- 96 total posts 96 posts
- OK. So Harrison Ford Isn't In Talks For The New BLADE RUNNER. But... -- 94 total posts 94 posts
- Thursday Is Sweeps Day Eight!! Yack Here About OFFICE, ROCK, UP, WIPEOUT, PERSON, FINDER, MENTALIST, IDOL, BANG, ROB, ANATOMY, JERSEY & More!! -- 85 total posts 85 posts
- Billy Connolly joins The Hobbit!?! Say whaaaaa....???? -- 75 total posts 75 posts
- Check out Colin Farrell in these new pics from SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS -- 70 total posts 70 posts
- Have ya been going through Natalie Portman withdrawls? Malick has two heaping helpings of Natalie coming! -- 69 total posts 69 posts
- Nice And Splattery MACHETE KILLS Promo Art!! -- 56 total posts 56 posts