Takashi Sorimachi to star in "Blue Wolf" - take note that it is different from "Mongol"
Haruki Kadokawa's next big film project, "Blue Wolf", will feature his recent hit "YAMATO" star Takashi Sorimachi. It is reported that Kadokawa loved Sorimachi's majestic acting in "YAMATO" and decided to take him up again. Heroin Kuran (don't know the English spelling), Genghis-Khan's life-time love, will be selected by an audition, headed by partner Avex's vice president. The filming will start from June 2006 and is expected to open in Japan next spring at 350 screens, widest opening ever for hogas (Japanese movies).
As a side note, actress Nanako Matsushima, about whom I just wrote an article a few days ago, is Sorimachi's wife.
Source: SANSPO.COM
In the meantime, there is another Genghis-Khan movie starred by a Japanese actor, so don't get mixed up with it. Sergei Bodrov's "MONGOL", joint project among Russia, China, Mongol and Khazakhstan, is focusing on young days of Temudjin (Genghis-Khan), and this Khan is played by Tadanobu Asano. The first stage of filming was over last year, but they will take some more scenes this spring and summer, and the film is aiming at entering Cannes FIlm Festival in 2007. Asano said in May 2005 at a press conference in Cannes, "I was interested in this movie because it is by Russian director and Japanese actor, with no Monglian around, and still it is about Genghis-Khan. I played Yoshitsune Minamoto once before (in a hoga "Gojo Reisenki"), and an old Japanese legend says Yoshitsune fled to Mongol and became Genghis-Khan, so I thought it should be fun to do it."
Kadokawa's next big thing - Genghis Khan and 3000 real-life Mongolian cavalry
Fresh out of the big success of "YAMATO" to mark his revival from the prison terms, producer Haruki Kadokawa announced his next big project, "Aoki Ookami - Chi Hate Umi Tsukiru Made" (Literal translation: Blue Wolf - Until the land ends and the sea finishes) about Mongolian hero Genghis Khan i1162-1227), SANSPO reports on Jan. 13. (You can see a glimpse of magestic Mongolian soldiers on this site.)
The story is based on two popular novels; one is "Blue Wolf" by Yasushi Inoue, one of the modern greats in Japanese literature circle, and another is "Until the land ends and the sea finishes" by Seiichi Morimura, Kadokawa's long-time partner in his famous "novel-movie media mix" strategy. The director is Shin-ichiro Sawai, another old buddy of Kadokawa in his 80's movies such as "W's tragedy" and "Mahjong".
What is amazing about Kadokawa is that he got this huge team going in less than one month. He had made up his mind that he would not start the new one until "YAMATO" sails off, so he started working on this project right after the opening of "YAMATO" in Dec. 17. After that, he lined up the joint production/distribution partner Shochiku, then talked to the ambassador of Mongol to Japan, and got the nod from their government. Mongolian government not only permitted to shoot the film in their country, but also agreed to provide 3000 of their military personel as the cavalry soldiers in the film, as their country's 800th anniversary event.
Then he got another partnership with Avex, the most powerful music production in J-Pop, who will invest into the film, provide music by one of their artists (including Ayumi Hamazaki, Namie Amuro, Mirai Koda etc.) and cooperate in various other aspects. As a result, he raised 3 billion yen (approx. $27 mil.), bigger than "YAMATO"'s 2.5 bil, is planning a huge kick-off event in Tokyo, inviting the Prime Minister of Mongol, in February, and will start shooting in June.
Kadokawa says that he will emphasize the women's side of the story within this huge historical/war spectacle, shedding the lights on Genghis Khan's mother, wife and concubine, just as "YAMATO" was also very much told from the women's point of view.
Kadokawa tried to take up "Blue Wolf" back in 1980's, but could not realize due to the political environment. (It is almost hard to remember now, but Mongol was a hard-core socialist bloc around that time, but now the relationship between Mongol and Japan is very good, partially (or largely?) because of the success of the sumo champion Asashoryu from Mongol.) Currently Kadokawa is working on casting, which is scheduled to be announced at the end of February.
There have been several cross-border all-Asian movies lately, involving Japanese actors and actresses, but most of them are from China and Hong Kong. I am glad finally that someone starts such a big international project from Japan, and that it is by a maverick-outsider.
And by the way, I assume the script will be all in Japanese, played by all Japanese cast, altough it is about Mongolian historical hero - won't it be criticized by Mongolian people as being too "Non-Mongolian", a la "Geisha"??? - I wonder....