47 Ronin

Rinko Kikuchi Talks NORWEGIAN WOOD, 47 RONIN, and Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM

by Sheila Roberts    Posted: January 10th, 2012 at 2:46 pm

Norwegian Wood is a moving tale of loss and sexuality set in Tokyo in the late 1960s and adapted from Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s bestselling 1987 novel. In this haunting coming-of-age story, Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo during a turbulent political time. Through his reminiscences about a series of life-altering events that include first love, sexual awakening, suicide and terminal illness, we see him develop relationships with two very different women, the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi), and the outgoing, vivacious Midori (Kiko Mizuhara).

We recently did an exclusive phone interview with the Academy Award nominated Kikuchi to talk about Norwegian Wood and what it was like to be a part of Vietnamese-born director Anh Hung Tran’s visually stunning film. She told us what attracted her to the project, how Tran had reservations about casting her in the role initially, what she felt were the most challenging aspects of her character, and why she thinks an audience will enjoy the poetic story and characters. She also talked about her upcoming roles in Carl Erik Rinsch’s epic period Samurai film, 47 Ronin, and Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi thriller, Pacific Rim.  Hit the jump for more.

Universal Pictures President Ron Meyer Talks Candidly about the Studio’s Recent Flops, 3D, Prestige Movies, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 10:07 am

Like any studio, Universal has had a tough time with movies they expected to be hits.  The Fast and Furious series is one of their killer franchises and they landed a sleeper hit with Bridesmaids, but the studio had to suck up bombs like Land of the Lost, The Wolfman, Robin Hood, Cowboys & Aliens, and even the geek-beloved Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.  Ron Meyer, Universal’s President and COO for the past sixteen years, spoke about the studio’s flops at the Savannah Film Festival.  He also talked about 3D, avoiding prestige pictures, and their controversial move to try and rush Tower Heist onto VOD.

Hit the jump for When Studio Execs Speak Honestly.

Promo Posters for THE HOBBIT, THE HUNGER GAMES, BATTLESHIP, and More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 14th, 2011 at 1:37 pm

With the 2011 Licensing International Expo currently underway in Las Vegas, many promo posters have started hitting the net.  Yesterday we posted the promo poster for The Avengers as well as the promo posters for The Amazing Spider-Man, Hotel Transylvania, and more.  Continuing the barrage of advertising, we now have promo posters for The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, Battleship, The Three Stooges, The Lorax, 47 Ronin, The Croods, The Bourne Legacy, Rise of the Guardians, Stretch Armstrong, RIPD, Fast & Furious 6, and How to Train Your Dragon 2.  It’s worth noting that the promo poster for Fast & Furious 6 says the film is due out in 2013, which isn’t too surprising.  More intriguing is that the poster for How to Train Your Dragon 2 is simply titled “Dragons“.

Hit the jump to check out the promo posters and look out for more over the coming days.

Keanu Reeves Talks 47 RONIN; First Synopsis Revealed

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 24th, 2011 at 12:03 pm

Can director Carl Erik Rinsch balance a fantastic epic featuring giants and witches with one of Japan’s legendary tale of loyalty and sacrifice?  That’s the question circling 47 Ronin but star Keanu Reeves explains how the film plans to honor the Japanese people who have grown up hearing this tale while still creating a widely-accessible tentpole flick.  Says Reeves,

“Japanese kids grow up with this story told to them. They hear it from family and they learn it in school, it’s part of the culture.  It’s been made into movies many times and on television. It’s like our westerns, the story keeps being told.  It’s been reworked in some ways [for this new film] but with great care and respect.”

Hit the jump for more details on the project including a synopsis.  The film also features Japanese stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Kô Shibasaki, and Rinko Kikuchi.  47 Ronin is set to open in 3D on November 11, 2012.

Sanada, Shibasaki, Asano, and Kikuchi Join Keanu Reeves in 47 RONIN; Updated With Image of Cast in London

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 1st, 2011 at 12:53 pm

Four Japanese actors have joined Keanu Reeves in Carl Erik Rinsch’s 47 Ronin. Hiroyuki Sanada (Lost), Kou Shibasaki (Battle Royale), Tadanobu Asano (Mongol), and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) will star alongside Reeves in Rinsch’s adaptation of the Japanese legend of ronin who fought to avenge their master’s death.  The film, which Universal is setting up as one of its 2012 tentpoles, is set to be released in 3D on November 11, 2012.

Variety doesn’t say which roles the new cast members will be playing.  However, judging by the previous work I’ve seen from these actors, I’m become more excited for what 47 Ronin holds in store. [Update: Universal has sent us a press release detailing the roles the lead actors will be playing.  Hit the jump to check it out.]

Director Carl Rinsch’s 47 RONIN Starring Keanu Reeves to be Produced and Released in 3D

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 8th, 2010 at 4:08 pm

We’ve received word that Universal plans to shoot and release the upcoming Keanu Reeves action film 47 Ronin in 3D. Director Carl Rinsch, who has previously been attached to the upcoming Alien prequel as well as a Logan’s Run remake, will make his feature film debut on the project. The project officially got a greenlight last month, as well as a release date of November 21, 2012. There’s no word as to whether the entire film will be shot in 3D, or if some of the footage will be filmed in 2D and then post-converted like the upcoming Transformers: The Dark of the Moon.

Based upon a true story, 47 Ronin is the tale of 18^th century samurai who head out to avenge the death of their master. It’s the most famous tale of the samurai code of honor, “bushido.” For a director who has yet to make his feature film debut, Rinsch has been attached to some decidedly high-profile projects, and Reeves’ work on The Matrix trilogy has him well-versed in martial arts (“I know kung-fu”). Needless to say, this flick sounds fairly bad-ass on paper. We’ll find out if Rinsch lives up to his reputation come November 2012.

Carl Erik Rinsch’s 47 RONIN Starring Keanu Reeves Gets a November 21, 2012 Release Date; LOGAN’S RUN Searching for a New Director

by Ben Garman    Posted: November 13th, 2010 at 5:57 am

Carl Rinsch’s first feature film, 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves, has been given the green light by Universal and a release date: November 21st, 2012.  THR reports due to the green light, Rinsch has stepped down from Logan’s Run, the sci-fi feature he was previously set to direct, leaving the spot ready for another to claim. It’s unfortunate as Warner Bros. has had scant success securing a director to remake the film, but Rinsch feels he needs to prioritise and redirect his time and focus to ensure that 47 Ronin is a success.

The legend of the 47 Ronin is based on the true story of a group of samurai who avenged the forced, ritual suicide of their master back in 1702.  The leaderless samurai, or Ronin, plotted revenge for nearly a year before murdering the court officials who brought shame on their master and were rewarded by a big helping of their own forced, ritual suicide.

Hit the jump for more on the struggle to revive Logan’s Run.

Universal Sets Release Dates for THE BOURNE LEGACY, OUIJA, THE DARK TOWER, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 29th, 2010 at 9:35 am

Universal Pictures has set release dates for some of its major upcoming films.  The studio has announced dates for Larry Crowne, Safe House, Contraband, The Bourne Legacy, Ouija, 47 Ronin, Snow White and the Huntsman, and The Dark Tower.  Hit the jump for the release dates for all of these films, other films that may share that weekend, and a brief refresher on each project.

Keanu Reeves Exclusive Interview HENRY’S CRIME

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 20th, 2010 at 12:26 am

At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, I was able to land an exclusive interview with Keanu Reeves for his movie Henry’s Crime.  Premiering at the festival, Henry’s Crime stars Reeves, James Caan, and Vera Farmiga.  The film was directed by Malcolm Venville and it’s about an aimless guy who ends up serving time for a bank robbery he didn’t commit. After he gets out, he decides to rob the bank for real.  Things get complicated when he falls for a girl.

While you normally associate Reeves with big budget Hollywood blockbusters, you might be surprised to learn Henry’s Crime is a true indie as they don’t yet have distribution and Reeves was instrumental in getting the film made.

During the interview, Reeves talked about why he wanted to make Henry’s Crime, casting, acting techniques, upcoming projects, and a lot more.  If you’re a fan of Reeves, I think you’ll like the interview as I tried to ask him some questions I’ve never heard him answer.  Read or listen to what he had to say after the jump:

Exclusive: Keanu Reeves on COWBOY BEBOP, 47 RONIN, PASSENGERS, GENERATION UM, and Other Developing Projects

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 14th, 2010 at 7:33 pm

Yesterday afternoon I was offered the chance to interview Keanu Reeves for his new movie Henry’s Crime – which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.  While I’ll have a lot more on the movie tomorrow (it’s a fun crime movie with just the right tone), towards the end of the interview, Reeves game me some brief updates on a number of projects he’s been associated with like Cowboy Bebop, 47 Ronin, Passengers, and Generation Um.   He also told me about a few other projects he developing like the romantic comedy It’s Not Me It’s You and Psyched.  More after the jump:

Concept Art from Director Carl Erik Rinsch’s SMALL

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 10th, 2010 at 9:37 am

If you haven’t seen director Carl Erik Rinsch’s short sci-fi film The Gift, you need to stop reading and click this link.  That’s because Rinsch’s 5 minute short that takes place in a futuristic Russia is an awesome little film that has already sparked a bidding war in Hollywood.

While everyone assumed the bidding war was over the rights to the short film and the world Rinsch created, Peter at Slashfilm found out Rinsch has already written and designed a feature called Small and The Gift is actually the prequel to that film!  But it gets better.  Peter landed some leaked concept art from Small and if you hit the jump you can check it out:

Director Carl Rinsch to Swim with THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 15th, 2009 at 12:56 am

He may have lost his chance to direct the fifth Alien movie, but director Carl Rinsch is doing pretty well for himself. Last month, we told you that Rinsch would be behind the camera on 47 Ronin, the film adaptation of the Japanese Chūshingura legend. Now it looks like Rinsch has lined up an even higher profile film with Hero Complex reporting that Rinsch is in talks to direct the remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The 1954 original involved a scientific expedition encountering a dangerous amphibious humanoid who may or may not be from a darkly colored body of water.

Multiple directors over the past three decades have tried to revive Creature, from John Landis to Peter Jackson to the most recent director to depart, Brick Eisner. Eisner, who recently remade George Romero’s 1973 horror film The Crazies, has now moved on to remake David Cronenberg’s 1979 horror film, The Brood. As for Creature, Universal is going back to square one on the script after recent passes by Eisner and Gary Ross (Seabiscuit). Whether Rinsch will be the one to finally bring the remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon to the big screen remains to be seen, but I suppose he has some extra incentive since he’ll get to show off what he would’ve done in a movie about an otherworldly creature terrorizing humans.

Would-Be ALIEN 5 Director Carl Rinsch to Instead Count 47 RONIN with Keanu Reeves

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 17th, 2009 at 5:40 pm

The saga of Carl Rinsch is an interesting one.  Last May, it was reported that Rinsch, a director with no feature films to his name, would be helming the fifth Alien movie, which would be a prequel.  There was some skepticism due to Rinsch’s lack of experience and the responsibility involved in handling such a major franchise, but original director Ridley Scott and brother Tony had Rinsch’s back.  Then Fox played hardball and got Ridley to return to directing the series he launched in 1979.  With that, Mr. Rinsch dropped out of sight…until now.

Rinsch has resurfaced to direct 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves possibly set to star.  Hit the jump for details and to work with former samurai rather than former chest embryos.

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