Cat-Loving Haruki Murakami and the Abundance of Movie Adaptations
The 74-year-old legend of Japanese Cinema will most likely retire after releasing his final film.
On the 9th of February, magazine Josei Jishin dropped the news that Takeshi Kitano is working on his latest project, an action film called Kubi (literally, Neck) which is based on his 2019 novel of the same name. The production is projected to start in May with Ken Watanabe confirmed as the star. In addition, Kitano will work with his long-time producer Mori Masayuki.
Inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), the novel is a fictional retelling of the Honni-ji incident in 1582, in the course of which lord Oda Nobunaga was assassinated (the historical figure also appeared in Kurosawa's Kagemusha from 1980). The story centers on Araki Murashige, a general accused of treacherous activity, who is captured by Sorori Shinzaemon, Nobunaga’s personal assistant.
Rumours about Kitano’s retirement still remain unconfirmed by the director’s representatives; however, the fact is that Kitano already stepped down in 2018 from the managerial position at Office Kitano, his own production company and talent agency. Mori Masayuki stated that Kitano did this in order to have more time for himself.
Apart from the development of Kubi, it has to be mentioned that Netflix is currently working on a biopic about Kitano, inspired by his memoir book Asakusa Kid.
What are your thoughts?
Are you waiting for Takeshi Kitano’s final movie?
Edited by: YW (1st editor)
