Watanabe on Eastwood's Iwo Jima
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Casting, Newsstand, Cinematical Indie
Confirming consistent internet rumors, it was
announced yesterday that Ken
Watanabe will star in the Japanese half of Clint
Eastwood's Iwo Jima project, Red Sun, Black Sand. Watanabe will play Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the general who
led the Japanese forces on the island; the movie's story takes its inspiration from letters the general wrote during the
battle. Also in the cast are Shido
Nakamura, The screenplay for Red Sun is almost entirely in Japanese (Yay! Thank the Lord they didn't take the ever-popular The Hunt for Red October approach, and have all the characters speak English - except not really.), and was written by Iris Yamashita after she and Paul Haggis (who wrote Flags of Our Fathers, the American half of the project) collaborated on a general outline. Eastwood, who is currently wrapping up post-production on Flags, plans to begin shooting next week in LA; the plan is to release both films later this year, with Flags coming first.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-10-2006 @ 2:17PM
Elrond Hobbert said...
I know what you're thinking. "Did he shoot two films or only one?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is Eastwood and Spielberg, the most powerful directors in the world, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
Reply
3-12-2006 @ 3:45PM
Amanda said...
Ninomiya's first name is Kazunari, not Kazuya.
Reply
3-12-2006 @ 3:52PM
Martha Fischer said...
Thanks, Amanda. His name seems subject to random changes, at least in the western press - I've corrected the post.
Reply
3-12-2006 @ 4:16PM
Van said...
Ninomiya is actually an established actor himself. He has appeared in many japanese dramas as the lead role and movies also. And the boy band name is Arashi, who are very popular, not just in Japan but worldwide. Many Arashi fans (including myself) are excited about Nino's role in this movie and wish him the best of luck because he finally gets to showcase his talents to the world.
Reply
3-12-2006 @ 8:13PM
Shinlin said...
Ninomiya Kazunari is from a jpop band ARASHI. Besides singing and composing his own songs at times, he has a talent in acting. He has acted in many Japanese dramas since he was 15 and he movie Ao no Honou (The Blue Light) has received critical acclaim in many fim festivals.
Reply
3-12-2006 @ 8:40PM
Sakurai Hideaki said...
OMEDETOU NINO-kun!
We look forward to your new movie. Thank you for making us, ARASHI fans, so proud.
GAMBARIMASU!
Reply
3-15-2006 @ 5:03PM
Tess said...
Do your best Nino, you'll always have your fans routing for you. Show what you can do ^_^
Reply