Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki & Tadanobu Asano Also Join The Cast
Are you ready for a big budget samurai movie based on a legendary incident in Japanese history where everybody dies at the end (though we’ll guess they’ll change that part here)? Then get ready for “47 Ronin.” The long-in-development blockbuster over at Universal is headed towards cameras with Keanu Reeves set to star, and today he’s been joined by four Japanese thesps.
Variety reports that Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel,” “The Brothers Bloom“), Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki and Tadanobu Asano have joined the film that will be directed by Ridley Scott protegé Carl Erik Rinsch. Penned by “Wanted” co-writer Chris Morgan, the film follows the story of the titular 47 warriors who, following the forced seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) of their master after assaulting a court official, spend two years plotting revenge on the official and then commit seppuku themselves when the deed is done. Kinda dark no? We imagine that messy ending will be altered to be a bit more audience-friendly.
The film will be “produced” in 3D — which we hope actually means “shot” in 3D and is not just a fancy way of explaining that it will be a pre-visualized, post-conversion job like they’re gonna do on the “Clash Of The Titans” sequel — and will hit theaters on November 11, 2012.