Ninja Assassin Attacks Car with Ninja Stars
German newspaper BILD has run a set photo from James McTeigue’s Ninja Assassin, which shows the front end of a car with who knows how many Ninja stars sticking through the hood. One can only imagine what kind of sequence The Wachowski Brothers have come up with that has resulted in this kind of car damage. Thanks to Christopher M for sending the photos along. The photo appears to be a month old, so I apologize to anyone who may have already seen it (I had not, so I decided to share).
Ninja Assassin stars stars Korean pop star Rain (Speed Racer) as Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them… and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.
In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive… and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan. The film also stars legendary martial arts performer Sho Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja) as the ruthless leader of the Ozunu Clan.
Ninja Assassin Details Revealed
Warner Bros has released new details on The Wachowski Brothers-produced Ninja Assassin. As you probably already know, Ninja Assassin is directed by James McTeigue (V For Vendetta) from a screenplay by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars stars Korean pop star Rain (Speed Racer) as Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world.
“Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them… and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.
In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive… and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.”
The film also stars legendary martial arts performer Sho Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja) as the ruthless leader of the Ozunu Clan. Sounds like it could be a very cool Ninja action film. I was really impressed with McTeigue’s V for Vendetta, but The Invasion was a disaster, although I’m not sure McTeigue can really be blamed for not being able to fix the mess that was handed to him.
he behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Independence Day, Prince Caspian), production designer Graham “Grace” Walker (Pitch Black, Gothika), costume designer Carlo Poggioli (Cold Mountain) and editor Giancarlo Ganziano. The Wachowski brothers’ longtime stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are also on board as second unit co-directors. Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski are producing, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and William Fay serving as executive producers.
Principal photography has started at Babelsberg Studios and on location in various parts of Berlin.
Street Kings Movie Trailer
The movie trailer for Fox Searchlight’s Keanu Reeves crime-thriller Street Kings (formerly titled The Night Watchman) has hit the web.
Street Kings stars Keanu Reeves as Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he’s been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him. The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Naomie Harris, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Amaury Nolasco, Terry Crews, Common and The Game. Watch the trailer below.
Definitely not Training Day, or even Harsh Times, Street Kings looks like a typical crime thriller, with the same overused themes we’ve come to expect from David Ayer.
Watch the trailer in High Definition on Yahoo! Movies. Street Kings hits theaters on April 11th 2008.
Watchman Gets Renamed
After months and months of people not in the know asking me “Is Keanu Reeves in Watchmen?”, Fox Searchlight Pictures has finally realized their upcoming film The Night Watchman posed a marketing challenge which was sure to create confusion in consumers, especially with buzz growing for the Warner Bros/Zack Snyder adaptation of Alan Moore’s epic superhero tale Watchmen. So Searchlight have decided to do the right thing and rename the film “Street Kings”. Besides, I’m pretty sure that the script for The Night Watchman was penned way after the Moore graphic novel was available in book stores. Although it should be noted that the film is based on a story by James Ellroy. I do remember this film floating around the development ponds for a few years now, once attached to Spike Lee, than Oliver Stone in 2005.
Street Kings stars Keanu Reeves as Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he’s been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him. The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Naomie Harris, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Amaury Nolasco, Terry Crews, Common and The Game. Street Kings will hit theaters on Friday, April 11th 2008.