FrighT MasteR
04-07-2009, 06:05 PM
http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/various/smap.jpg
The Nikkan Sports newspaper reports that Leonardo DiCaprio is considering casting Japan's SMAP entertainment group as the main leads in Warner Brothers and Appian Way's proposed live-action adaptation of the Ninja Scroll anime. Appian Way is DiCaprio's production company which acquired the rights to the anime last year.
In addition to performing a string of hit singles, the five members of SMAP — Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori — have acted in many films based on manga and anime. However, they have not acted together in the same film since 1994's Shoot.
According to Nikkan Sports, casting is in progress with DiCaprio's expressed intention to "cast with Japanese people." In November, DiCaprio told MTV's Splash Page that he is producing both this project and the proposed live-action adaptation of the Akira anime for Warner and Appian Way, but emphasized that he does "not really" have any interest in acting in them.
In the same interview he professed to be a big fan of both Akira and Ninja Scroll, and added, "I know there a lot of loyal fans out there of the project and die-hard fans, so we're going to try to do the best job we possibly can and we're not going to make the movie until the script is in the right shape."
At a SMAP event at the end of last year, Nakai said, "I want to do a movie with [all the members of] SMAP." SMAP's agency told Nikkan Sports, "We have no official comment, but if this comes to fruition, we would certainly want to consider it strongly."
I'm just glad they're interested in casting actual Japanese people instead of the usual Hollywood fair casting Chinese or American actors :whew:
SOURCE: Animenewsnetwork (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-06/paper/dicaprio-considers-smap-for-ninja-scroll-film)
The Nikkan Sports newspaper reports that Leonardo DiCaprio is considering casting Japan's SMAP entertainment group as the main leads in Warner Brothers and Appian Way's proposed live-action adaptation of the Ninja Scroll anime. Appian Way is DiCaprio's production company which acquired the rights to the anime last year.
In addition to performing a string of hit singles, the five members of SMAP — Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori — have acted in many films based on manga and anime. However, they have not acted together in the same film since 1994's Shoot.
According to Nikkan Sports, casting is in progress with DiCaprio's expressed intention to "cast with Japanese people." In November, DiCaprio told MTV's Splash Page that he is producing both this project and the proposed live-action adaptation of the Akira anime for Warner and Appian Way, but emphasized that he does "not really" have any interest in acting in them.
In the same interview he professed to be a big fan of both Akira and Ninja Scroll, and added, "I know there a lot of loyal fans out there of the project and die-hard fans, so we're going to try to do the best job we possibly can and we're not going to make the movie until the script is in the right shape."
At a SMAP event at the end of last year, Nakai said, "I want to do a movie with [all the members of] SMAP." SMAP's agency told Nikkan Sports, "We have no official comment, but if this comes to fruition, we would certainly want to consider it strongly."
I'm just glad they're interested in casting actual Japanese people instead of the usual Hollywood fair casting Chinese or American actors :whew:
SOURCE: Animenewsnetwork (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-06/paper/dicaprio-considers-smap-for-ninja-scroll-film)