Opening this weekend in limited release is director Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor.  The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces.  Matthew Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal.  Fox’s mission becomes more complicated as he searches for a school teacher (Eriko Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan years before the war.  For more on the film, watch these three clips and here’s our interview with Jones.

A few days ago, we got to speak with Fox.  He talked about the research he did, collaborating with Peter Webber to make sure the film was an accurate depiction and not a Hollywood version of the events, script changes, deleted scenes, working with Tommy Lee Jones, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Opening this weekend in limited release is director Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor.  The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces.  Matthew Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal.  Fox’s mission becomes more complicated as he searches for a school teacher (Eriko Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan years before the war.  For more on the film, watch these three clips.

A few days ago, we got to speak with Jones.  He talked about the research he did, what surprised him about MacArthur, collaborating with Peter Webber to make sure the film was an accurate depiction and not a Hollywood version of the events, script changes, and more.  In addition, Jones talked about The Homesman, which he’ll be directing next month.  Hit the jump to watch.

The first trailer for director Peter Webber’s historical drama Emperor has been released online.  Based on a true story, the film takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II and stars Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers, an expert in Japanese who is assigned to assist General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) in investigating whether or not the beloved Japanese Emperor should be punished for war crimes.  The film looks a bit like A Few Good Men: WWII Edition, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.  The Fellers role gives Fox an opportunity to show some range, and Jones seems right at home as MacArthur.  The only issue I have with the trailer is that it appears to show nearly the entire movie in two and a half minutes.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here to read Steve’s interview with Fox about the film.  The pic also stars Eriko Hatsune.  The film is currently without a release date, but Roadside Attractions promises that it’s “coming soon.”

Earlier today we got our first look at a crazy Matthew Fox in the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross, but now we’ve got some images of Fox being somewhat normal-looking in director Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor.  The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces.  Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried and hanged as a war criminal

These first images and sales posters aren’t anything mind blowing, but it’s pretty cool to see Jones sporting McArthur’s ginormous pipe.  Hit the jump to take a look.

Having taken a cinematic break after his tenure on Lost, Matthew Fox is set to star in two high-profile films in 2012: Rob Cohen’s I, Alex Cross and Marc Forster’s World War Z. Looking even further ahead, Fox is now reported to have landed a role in Emperor, by director Peter Webber (Girl with the Pearl Earring). Emperor spins a love story amidst the turmoil of the final days of World War II, as General Douglas MacArthur rules Japan as supreme commander of the occupying forces after the Japanese surrender. Fox will play General Bonner Fellers, an attaché to MacArthur who is tasked with determining Emperor Hirohito’s fate in defeat. The pic, scripted by David Klass (Walking Tall) and Vera Blasi (Tortilla Soup) is on pace to start filming at the end of January. Hit the jump for more on Fox’s character. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is now included after the jump.]

Peter Webber (Hannibal Rising) has signed on to direct Emperor, a thriller and love story based on true events following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II.  The story centers on General Bonner Fellers, who must decide whether to charge Emperor Hirohito as a war criminal.  The script by David Klass (Walking Tall) and Vera Blasi (Woman on Top) interweaves the story of Fellers’ love affair with a Japanese exchange student.  Said Webber, “The fact that all this came wrapped up in a tense political thriller with an epic love story at the heart of it made it irresistible.”

The press release notes that Emperor is a working title.  You may recall from our recent interview with producer Mark Canton that he is also developing a film titled Emperor, about a young Julius Caesar.  The former is further along—producers Yoko Narahashi, Gary Foster, and Eugene Nomara are planning for a January 2012 start date—and may have the right to the title by virtue of the Early Bird rule.  However, I’d like to suggest the title Hirohito as a solid backup plan.  Hit the jump for the full announcement.