Posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
/Film reader Christopher M scored this bad ass fight choreography/stunt training video showing some of the work of 87 Eleven (the stunt team that worked on 300, Watchmen, Matrix and Bourne films) on The Wachowski Brothers-produced, James McTeigue-directed Ninja Assassin. Check it out after the jump.
/Film reader Jacob sent over this footage from The Wachowski Brothers’ Ninja Assassin.
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.
Images Removed at Warner Bros Request
/Film reader Christopher M sent over four photos from James McTeigue’s Ninja Assassin, which is being produced by The Wachowski Brothers. You might also want to head over to IESB, because they have some details about the opening sequence of the film.
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.
Collider is reporting that Collin Chou, one of the two reported leads of The Wachowski Brothers-produced, James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) directed Ninja Assassin, has dropped out of the project for unknown reasons. The film was scheduled to start production in just a few weeks in Berlin. I wonder if that time table might have been pushed back as it sounds like the cast is not completely finalized. All we know about the movie is that it’s an original martial arts movie with a revenge storyline. The Wachowski Brothers, the guy who made V For Vendetta and a martial arts revenge story? Count me in.
Posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
When The Wachowski Brothers announced they would be making a live action cartoon-looking adaptation of the classic anime series Speed Racer, I was all for it. When it was revealed that the film would be Rated G, because the brothers wanted to make a family film, I was still on board. But when the first teaser trailer hit, that was when I fell off the tracks, down a hill, and into a lake in another state. I argued against the merits of the film in second ever episode FightCast. And was even less impressed with the two international movie trailers released last week. To me (and many others) the action sequences look like a video game, and nothing more. The film appeared to be a disaster of epic proportions.
But then this new domestic movie trailer hit the interwebs, and I’m now feeling very confused and conflicted. I’m not sure if it was just well edited, or may-be I was completely wrong about Speed Racer (if so, I’ll need at least a few days to wash off the egg on my face). But check out the new trailer for yourself, and tell me what you think in the comments below.
[flv:http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/trailers/speedracerdomestic2.flv 470 200]
You can also catch the new trailer in High Definition on Yahoo Movies. Speed Racer hits theaters on May 9th 2008.
Discuss: Could Speed Racer actually be good after all?
The movie trailer for Speed Racer is now online.
When I posted the first set of production photos this morning, I asked for your opinions. I was unable to make a judgement just looking at the still photos, but now that there is full motion video, here are my first thoughts: The Wachowski Brother’s wanted to make a “live-action cartoon”, but I think they instead made a “live-action videogame”. The results are jarring and are sure to polarize audiences. I think some movie fans will be super-hyped, while others will call this “lame and stupid”. I don’t see why the Wachowski’s are so set on making this a G-Rated movie, as the action seems to extreme for such a general audiences rating.
Please again, tell me what you guys think. I want first impressions!
[flv:http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/trailers/speedracerreal.flv 470 264]
You can also watch the new trailer in High Definition on Moviefone. Speed Racer hits theaters on May 9th 2008.
