Tag: Japan

Posted on in Film News

‘Ant-Man 3’ Director Peyton Reed Says Sequel Is Much Bigger and More Sprawling Than Last Two Movies

Marvel Studios is still trying to finish productions on both film and television shows they weren’t able to complete earlier in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally have a neat update concerning Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man 3.

While speaking to The Jess Cagle Show on SiriusXM (via Collider), Peyton mentioned that Ant-Man 3 will be bigger and much more sprawling than the previous two installments of the franchise as they’re still working on the film during the pandemic. 

REED: “We are working away through the pandemic. There’s some really really really exciting things in store, none of which of course I could speak to you about right now, as is the Marvel way. I think the third Ant-Man movie is going to be a much bigger more sprawling movie than the first two. It’s going to have a very different visual template.”

It might be a good idea to see them change gears with the upcoming film given that the Ant-Man films are arguably the ones that have the least connection with global audiences as reflected in the box office returns in comparison to the other solo films. 

Thor had been in a similar situation before Taika Waititi took over with Thor: Ragnarok giving the franchise a much need boost of creativity and Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness is expected to up the stakes in a similar way. The commonality is that they’re including way more characters than previous films to help increase the energy and scale. 

Considering the power-set of Ant-Man and Cassie Lang’s superhero persona of Stature the “bigger” sentiment might actually be literal. 

One way to go is to really lean into the homage of Japanese kaiju movies as Reed previously has mentioned in the past. In 2018, Reed responded on Twitter to a fan question that Ant-Man’s suit was directly inspired by Ultraman and Infra-Man. 

REED: “Ant-Man’s look wasn’t inspired by Kamen Rider, but I will say that we referenced both Ultraman and Infra-Man when discussing the suit. Close enough, right?”

Ant-Man 3 could be an excellent excuse to take on elements of traditional large-scale monster movies placing the MCU into the realm of the Monsterverse (Legendary’s Godzilla and King Kong cinematic universe) and Pacific Rim, given that there are plenty of large monsters in Marvel Comics allowing Scott or Cassie (as Stature) to battle building-size threats. 

Having various creatures escape the Quantum Realm only to increase to a massive/destructive size could be a fun way to go.

Attempting to move things outside of San Francisco would also be nice change and could lead to the film being “visually different”. I’d love to see a Marvel Studios movie take place in Tokyo, Japan as we only briefly saw the location used in Avengers: Endgame.

Before the pandemic, Ant-Man 3 was said to be aiming for an early 2021 shoot and would be spending some of its production in the United Kingdom at Pinewood Studios UK and also return to San Francisco for exterior scenes. 

We already know that officially Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Douglas will be returning with the assumption that we’ll see Michelle Michelle Pfeiffer back as Janet and newcomer Emma Fuhrmann as the teenage version of Cassie Lang. 

Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings has finally resumed production at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Other productions such as Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love & Thunder have yet to begin as they were originally planned to start up in 2020 but will likely be bumped into 2021 leading to more production/release delays in the future. 

While Disney/Marvel Studios haven’t officially announced a release date for the third Ant-Man movie, there is an expectation it could be ready to be released sometime in 2022 if production gets off and running next year. 

SOURCE: THE JESS CAGLE SHOW

Posted on in Film News

Cyberpunk Sequel To ’47 Ronin’ Heading To Netflix – Original Starred Keanu Reeves

Deadline reports that Universal 1440 and Netflix are teaming up for a sequel to the Keanu Reeves samurai fantasy film 47 Ronin, inspired by the Japanese historical event from the 18th Century but added fantasy elements to it. The new film is said to be set 300 years in the future and will be set in the exotic world of cyberpunk adding science fiction elements to the fantasy/horror from the original.

Mulan actor Ron Yuan will be directing with an expectation that filming could begin in the first quarter of 2021.

It’s unknown if they’ll attempt to bring any original cast members to play new characters but it certainly allows them to hire a majority of Asian actors to lead the film.

47 RONIN – In feudal Japan, Lord Asano rules his province with fairness. However, jealous Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano) fears that the shogun favors Asano over him and hatches a plot that ends with Asano’s ritual suicide. After Asano’s death, his samurai, led by Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), are forced to live as outcasts. Oishi wanders for several years but realizes that he must turn to Kai (Keanu Reeves), a mixed-blood warrior he once rejected, to help him and his ronin comrades take revenge on Lord Kira.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Joey King To Co-Star With Brad Pitt In Sony’s Action Flick ‘Bullet Train’

Deadline reports that young actress Joey King is currently in negotiations to play the role of Prince in Sony’s action film Bullet Train from director David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde). Oscar-winner Brad Pitt is set to play an assassin named Ladybug. 

The film is based on the novel Maria Beetle from Japanese author Kotaro Isaka, it will focus on a group of assassins on a bullet train. 

King’s credits include The Dark Knight Rises, The Conjuring, White House Down, The Act, and most recently with Netflix’s The Kissing Booth 2. 

Filming is expected to begin this fall in Los Angeles, California. 

However, that will likely be dependant on how the city/state is doing with the pandemic and if there is a second wave that shuts down productions. 

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Oscar-Winner Brad Pitt Boards Sony’s Tokyo-Set ‘Bullet Train’ – Will Reunite With ‘Deadpool 2’ Director David Leitch

According to Deadline, Oscar-winner Brad Pitt will be reuniting with Deadpool 2 director David Leitch on Sony’s upcoming action flick Bullet Train taking a lead role.

There are finally some details revealed about the film as well.

Bullet Train is based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka and was penned by screenwriter Zak Olkewicz.

 In the novel, five assassins find themselves on a fast moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. They discover their missions are not unrelated to each other. The question becomes who will make it off the train alive and what awaits them at the terminal station?

Leitch is best-known as co-directing the first John Wick film then moving on to his solo directing career on projects such Atomic Blonde, Hobbs & Shaw, and the previously mentioned Deadpool sequel where Pitt cameos as the Vanisher.

There had been some expectations that production could begin before the end of the year.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Deadpool 2’ Director David Leitch’s Next Film Will Be Sony’s Japan-Set Action Film ‘Bullet Train’ – Eyes Fall Production Start

Director David Leitch has landed yet another studio action project according to The Hollywood Reporter. The co-director of John Wick will return to the world of assassins with Bullet Train for Sony Pictures and they’re hoping to begin sometime in the fall. 

They’ve also provided a brief idea of what to expect from the project. Its script is being handled by Fear Street screenwriter Zak Olkewicz. 

Bullet Train centers on a group of hitmen and assassins with conflicting motives on a train in Tokyo. 

Oddly enough, Bullet Train shares it’s title with an existing Japanese film from 1975 directed by Jun’ya Satô with legendary action stars Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter, Kill Bill) and Ken Takakura (Black Rain, The Yakuza) in leading roles. I’m curious if the original film from Japan will have any influence on this new project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1dO3Hjj8Lk

Sony is hopeful because of the contained setting of the project (on a train) they’ll be able to limit the number of people on set during the filming. 

David’s previous releases all have strong action sequences which has helped him gain the reputation of a solid action film director, thanks to his background in stunts.

At one point, Antoine Fuqua was attached to direct. 

The director has been putting together multiple deals to make multiple films at various studios, but I’m unsure if he’ll be able to make all of them. Here is a rundown of the other various projects that David has been reportedly attached to direct over the last year or so. 

  • A feature adaptation of the Ubisoft video game The Division for Netflix with Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star. 
  • A remake of the classic Bruce Lee martial arts action film Enter The Dragon for Warner Bros. Pictures. 
  • Undying Love, a vampire action film set in Hong Kong and based on the Image Comics property. 
  • A feature film remake of the classic David Carradine series Kung Fu. 

Leitch is also producing a string of upcoming releases such as the Universal action flick Nobody starring Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) coming to theaters on February 26th, 2021, the Toyko-set Netflix assassin film Kate starring Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey), and the recently announced memory loss thriller for STX titled Fast & Loose. 

While sequels to Hobbs & Shaw, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2 are said to be in early development stages. It remains to be seen if David will return to direct those projects. 

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Television News

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ 10-Episode Anime Series Coming To Netflix In 2022 Titled ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’

Yesterday, Netflix officially announced they’ve teamed with video game developer CD Projekt Red and Japanese animation studio Trigger Studio for a new animated series titled Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The new series will be directly set within the universe of their upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077.

The futuristic video game set in the fictional Night City mixes RPG and first-person-shooter elements. It also takes a massive amount of visual cues from the R-rated comic book film Dredd. 

Here is the official press release for the upcoming anime series. 

Netflix, CD Projekt Red, and Studio Trigger announce an all new original anime series CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS set in the same universe as the upcoming game, Cyberpunk 2077. The series will premiere in 2022.

CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an edgerunner—a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.

CD PROJEKT RED, the company behind the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, is producing the series, with a creative team formed of talent from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Cyberpunk 2077. The team at CD PROJEKT RED has been working on this new series since 2018. 

Acclaimed Japan-based animation company, Studio Trigger, will serve as the animation studio on the series and bring the world of Cyberpunk to life with their signature, vibrant style. Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Promare) will direct the series along with assistant director Masahiko Otsuka (Gurren Lagann, Promare), creative director Hiromi Wakabayashi (Kill la Kill) , character designer Yoh Yoshinari (Little Witch Academia, BNA: Brand New Animal) and Yuto Kaneko (Little Witch Academia), and the adapted screenplay by Yoshiki Usa (SSSS.GRIDMAN, Promare) and Masahiko Otsuka (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Promare). The original score will be composed by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill series).

This isn’t the first CD Projekt Red project Netflix has adapted as they turned their mature fantasy game The Witcher into a series starring Henry Cavill.

They’ve also included a teaser poster for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. 

As mentioned before it will drop sometime in 2022. 

SOURCE: NETFLIX