47 Ronin is based (very loosely) on the 47 samurai who became Ronin (leaderless samurai) and planned revenge for the loss of their leader, or, as we’ve described it in the past, “Lord Of The Rings, but Japanese“. The newest version of this much-told story stars Keanu Reeves as one of these Ronin. Of course. (Well, at least it isn’t Tom Cruise.)
47 Ronin was supposed to be released this November 21st, but that was pushed to Christmas Day after some hush hush production kerfuffle.
Whereas Disney’s Lone Ranger reportedly went over its budgeted cost and time schedule for principal photography – while Paramount’s World War Z ended up having its entire third act reshot before release – there was a time when 47 Ronin director Carl Rinsch (who is making his feature-length debut on the film) was said to have been removed from the project – though, the claims have since been denied (so take them or leave them as you will). Question is, will 47 Ronin – rumored to have cost between $175 million and $225 million – follow in the footsteps of Lone Ranger (poor reviews, insufficient box office returns), World War Z (solid reviews, excellent box office returns) or a path that lies somewhere between the two? [Screenrant]
It’s Keanu Reeves with a katana. Don’t even front, we’ll all watch it eventually.
Check out the trailer below to see samurai Keanu Reeves facing off with sorceress/dragon Rinko Kikuchi, whom we saw earlier today being adorable in the Pacific Rim gag reel. Wait, is this the first time an Oscar nominee (Kikuchi) has played a dragon? Nope. Sean Connery is still hoping we’ll forget about DragonHeart. But we won’t. It helps us remove the mental image of his wardrobe in Zardoz.
47 Ronin opens this Christmas Day in the U.S. and December 26th in the UK.