Rick Yune Joins The Wachowskis' 'Ninja Assassin'
Filed under: Action, Casting, Warner Brothers
Can it be? Is Hollywood finally making a big-budget film about martial arts and casting honest to goodness Asian actors? Well wonders never cease because the Wachowskis seem to be making all the right casting decisions for their top secret action flick, Ninja Assassin. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Rick Yune (Die Another Day) has joined the martial arts thriller, and he'll star alongside Naomi Harris and Korean pop star Rain).The news first broke on the martial arts flick when a casting notice appeared for the film that had some similarities to the much-beloved anime, Ninja Scroll. So far, all we know about Ninja Assassin is that it will revolve around an orphanage that operates as a 'ninja factory'. When one of their star pupils (Rain) decides to leave the old world behind, he is put into conflict with the other ninjas who have stayed a little closer to their 'roots'.
Considering how most of the details were being kept under wraps, it was a bit of a surprise to see Yune giving up info on his character. He told THR, "Not to give too much away, (but) my character stays within what he was brought up with, and they go up against each other, I'm not a heavy. The characters are ninjas, they are assassins, and there's this mix of morality the Wachowskis are exploring." Ninja Assassin re-unites the brothers with V for Vendetta director James McTeigue in a Joel Silver production and filming has just begun. McTeigue is expected to be on location in Berlin until at least June, and Ninja Assassin is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2010.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-02-2008 @ 3:59PM
John R said...
"Can it be? Is Hollywood finally making a big-budget film about martial arts and casting honest to goodness Asian actors?"
Wow! What a concept, huh! Its about freaking time.
Reply
5-02-2008 @ 7:56PM
Mr. R said...
Isn't Kill Bill a martial arts movie?
5-02-2008 @ 4:01PM
Ryan said...
“Wages of Fear,” “Convoy,” Smokey and the Bandit” and “Duel”
Remember these great flicks? What are they? Road movies, of course, but more importantly, they are trucking films. Here is a genre nearly forgotten that Navistar, which builds legendary International trucks, hopes to single-handedly revive.
The company that just launched a revolution in long haul trucking by building the mold-shattering LoneStar Class 8 tractor is now launching another first - a student film competition that will ask aspiring auteurs and cineastes to celebrate the lives and labors of long-distance truck drivers in a short film format.
You could be the next Spielberg, Sam Peckinpah or even Henri-Georges Clouzot.
On May 1, 2008, Navistar is sending out a call for entries to approximately 50 universities and film schools around the country asking ambitious filmmakers to hit the road and produce short films or videos that honor the American trucker. These mavericks will then submit their final product in a competition to win film school tuition or top-notch camera equipment.
Academy award nominated producer/director Brett Morgan (Chicago 10, The Kids Stays in the Pictures) will chair a jury of filmmakers who will judge all submissions. First, second and third prize winners will premiere their films at The Great American Trucking show in Dallas, Texas, on August 22, 2008, and will be featured as streaming content on InternationalTrucks.com. The films will also be included as bonus material on a DVD with “Stand Alone,” Brett Morgen’s upcoming Navistar-funded documentary about truckers.
It’s time for filmmakers to release the jake-brake, hammer down, and make cinema that really matters, films about real life on the road. Put it this way: if America’s drivers decided to stop working, the entire country would shut down. We depend on truckers to deliver everything we own and consume. Truckers are that important. They are true American heroes.
Merle Haggard sang it this way: “The whiteline is a lifeline for the nation… It takes a special breed to be a truck drivin' man, And a steady hand to pull that load behind.”
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