Keanu Reeves, after lending his voice to Pixar’s “Toy Story 4″ and Shadow in the last “Sonic The Hedgehog” film, has been enlisted for “Hidari,” a feature film iteration of the Masashi Kawamura samurai stop-motion animation short, an inventive action-focused project that features characters made of wood. That original stop-motion samurai film from Kawamura (a viral proof of concept posted on YouTube as a way to get a film together) will see Reeves voicing the character of Jingoro Hidari.
A logline for the action-focused Japanese animated pic also penned by the director was announced among a crowded lineup at the Cannes Film Market:
“Loosely inspired by the legend of Jingoro Hidari, a near-mythic master carpenter from Japan’s Edo period, the film follows the artisan as he loses his father figure, his fiancée and his right arm to a betrayal tied to the secret reconstruction of Edo Castle — then channels his grief into vengeance, wielding a series of mechanical prosthetic arms of his own design alongside his loyal animated wooden companion, the Sleeping Cat.”
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Thankfully, stop-motion animation has been getting a little bit of love and a lifeline, thanks to LAIKA/Travis Knight‘s (“Kubo & The Two Strings”) upcoming release “Wildwood” and Guillermo del Toro‘s acclaimed grim take on “Pinocchio,” which won the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar back in 2023. The Oscar-winning filmmaker is also currently trying to bring the Kazuo Ishiguro-authored fantasy novel “The Buried Giant” to life within that animation medium at Netflix and is officially reuniting with “Hellboy” franchise actor Ron Perlman (“Pacific Rim”) on it.
“I’m thrilled by the vision behind ‘Hidari,'” Reeves said in an official statement. “From the proof of concept to the developed script, the team has created something truly extraordinary. It has all the makings of an exceptional film — one I’m excited to see and eager to be part of. I believe this project has the potential to bring something very special to audiences worldwide.”
“Hidari” is set to be produced by Noriko Matsumoto (Dwarf Studios), and is a co-production between Dwarf Studios, Tokyo-based creative agency Whatever, and animation house TECARAT. Also, the financing is coming from Questry Co.’s Tomonobu Ibe.
We already know some other live-action projects on the horizon for Keanu Reeves will include Tim Miller‘s “Shiver” (after linking up on the Prime animated video game IP anthology series “Secret Level” focusing on an “Armored Core” short), will reunite with “Speed” co-star Sandra Bullock for a romantic thriller at Amazon MGM Studios, a feature adaptation of his comic book “BRZRKR” from director Justin Lin at Netflix, Chad Stahelski‘s “John Wick 5,” and there had been quiet development on a sequel to the DC Comics film “Constintine.”
What is a little unclear, at the moment, is if Reeves will be participating in either Drew Goddard‘s gestating “The Matrix 5” or having a small part/cameo in Donnie Yen-directed “John Wick” universe spinoff, “Caine.”
Until we learn more about the voice cast of “Hidari,” you can check out that viral and energetic short film that has amassed an impressive 5 million views. [THR]
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