There always seems to be a general reaction of hesitation when impressive and successful international features get the “domestic reboot treatment.” (Recall the news of J.J. Abram’s live-action “Your Name,” Adam McKay’s “Parasite”-adjacent HBO series, and, most recently, the DiCaprio-starring “Another Round” remake.)
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021
As Screen Daily reports, this trend continues, albeit on a much smaller scale, with French director Michel Hazanavicius’s reworking of the 2017 Japanese cult horror “One Cut of the Dead.” Hazanavicius’s film, titled “Final Cut” (or “Z (comme Z)” in French), has just started principal photography in Paris.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020 You Didn’t See
“Final Cut” will star Romain Duris (“The Beat That My Heart Skipped”), who plays an independent B-film director attempting to keep his run-and-gun zombie flick from financial and professional failure. Things become peculiarly ironic and wickedly comedic when their film set becomes swarmed by real zombies. The concept, confidently executed by “One Cut of the Dead” director Shin’ichirô Ueda, is loosely based on Ryoichi Wada’s play “Ghost in the Box.”
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2021 We’ve Already Seen
Alongside Duris, “Final Cut” will also star Bérénice Bejo, Grégory Gadebois, Finnegan Oldfield, Matilda Lutz, Sébastian Chassagne and Raphaël Quenard.
In the horror-comedy genre, “Final Cut” could also testify to Hazanavicius’s impressive cinematic range. Considering his recent stretch of varied outings – from the adventurous “The Lost Prince,” to the playfully comedic Godard biopic “Godard Mon Amour,” and to the black-and-white, silent, Best Picture-winning “The Artist” – we’re hoping Hazanavicius brings his unique European sensibilities to his latest adaptation.
“Final Cut” (“Z (comme Z)”) is produced by La Classe Américaine and Getaway Films, with co-producing support from France 2 Cinéma. Japanese companies ENBU Seminar and GAGA are executive producing and co-financing the production.