Warner Bros. produces new Chushingura film
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2009-11-04 - It was announced on Tuesday that "Kita no Kuni Kara" director Shigemichi Sugita is working on a new movie adaptation of the Chushingura story. The picture is being labeled as the first true Japanese film produced by the major American studio Warner Bros.
The Chushingura story recounts the mission of the Forty-seven Ronin to avenge their master. It has been fictionalized many times in various media, from kabuki to literature to television. Sugita's version, titled "Saigo no Chushingura," is based on a novel by Shoichiro Ikemiya and focuses on two survivors of the attack.
Kouji Yakusho plays the warrior Seo Magozaemon, who flees on the night before the raid. Koichi Sato plays Terasaka Kichiemon, a loyal retainer who goes into hiding after the attack. The two meet again sixteen years later. Narumi Yasuda has also been cast.
Ikemiya's novel was previously adapted as a six-episode drama series on NHK in 2004, starring Takaya Kamikawa and Teruyuki Kagawa.
The movie version is scheduled for release in 2011. Although Warner Bros. has been involved in the production of Japanese films before, "Saigo no Chushingura" is said to be the first one by their local production division, featuring a completely Japanese staff and cast.
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