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Director Justin Lin Confirms Development of Live-Action Lone Wolf and Cub
posted on by Karen Ressler
Director Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious franchise, Better Luck Tomorrow, Star Trek Beyond) confirmed in an interview with Empire on Tuesday that he is still attached to live-action film adaptation of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's samurai manga Lone Wolf and Cub. SP International Pictures announced last month that it had acquired the rights to the film and plans to begin shooting in 2017.
Lin told Empire:
For the last year and a half I've been on this Star Trek detour, the greatest detour of my career. But I'm excited because Lone Wolf and Cub is one of many projects that I can't wait to go back and revisit in the next two weeks when we're done with all the press.
Lin also commented on the casting for the film. "Five-to-ten years ago, they would have wanted Keanu Reeves to play the dad," Lin said. "I think the cool thing about it is that filmmaking has gone global. There's many ways to make a movie and I think Hollywood has to evolve.”
SP International Pictures' founder and producer Steven Paul previously told Buzzfeed that he considers the title to be a very Japanese story and so should have Japanese actors in all the main roles. He also told Variety that the film will have "an essentially Japanese cast."
Paul is also the producer of the two live-action Ghost Rider films, the two live-action Tekken films, and the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell film starring Scarlett Johansson and Takeshi Kitano.
SP International Pictures acquired the Lone Wolf and Cub rights from Koike Kazuo Gekiga Sonjuku, Inc. Previously, Kamala Film had acquired the rights in 2012 with Lin and writers David and Janet Peoples (Twelve Monkeys). Before Kamala Films, director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan) had tried to secure the film rights to the manga.
The manga already inspired six feature movies starring Tomisaburō Wakayama, four stage plays, and a television series. Dark Horse Comics releases the original manga in North America, while Media Blasters licensed the Japanese live-action television series. AnimEigo licensed the Japanese 1972 live-action film version and its five sequels.
Source: Empire Online (John Nugent)
