Have you, like many folks, been wandering around in a daze, lost and confused because there hasn’t been a big budget Keanu Reeves vehicle in theaters since the remake of “The Day The Earth Stood Still?” Well fear not, Universal Pictures has announced that shooting will commence on “47 Ronin” a Japanese Action thriller based on the folk tale “The 47 Samurai.” For this first time in our lives we will get to experience Keanu in 3D. Consider your Keanu related prayers answered.
The film is directed by Carl Erik Rinsch, the man behind the beautiful and surreal short film “The Gift,” and stars Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai,) Kiu Shibasaki (One Missed Call,) Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer,) and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel.) The Script is written by Chris Morgan(Wanted) and Hossein Amini (Drive.) The director or Photography will be the John Mathieson who shot “Gladiator.” Considering the talent and talk of “stunning landscapes” and “enormous battles” in the press release, I believe they are going for “epic” here.
The folk tale, loosely based on actual events from 18th century Japan, is the story of a group of Samurai who plot vengeance on the Overlord who killed their master (turning them into Ronin) and banished their kind. Keanu Reeves will play the role of Kai, an outcast who joins the Ronin to seek his revenge.
No release date has been announced yet. but check out “The Gift” embedded below for a taste of what Carl Rinsch can do.
–Alex Dorn is the Video Editor for HitFix.com