"Straw Shield" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Remember that scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker tries to convince Gotham’s citizens to kill a Wayne Enterprises employee before he can spill Batman’s secret identity? Well, director Takashi Miike has taken a similar premise and spun it into an entire movie. His next project is a slickly-produced action thriller titled Straw Shield, about a police unit who must protect a confessed killer after the relatives of one of his victims puts a bounty on his head.

You can check out the teaser trailer here!

Look for none other than Tatsuya Fujiwara, of Battle Royale and Death Note fame, in the role of the killer. Fujiwara has been stretching his acting chops as of late with movies such as this and I’m Flash!, possibly in an attempt to break out of his ‘pretty boy’ image.

Straw Shield is based on a novel by author Kazuhiro Kiuchi and arrives in Japanese theaters on April 26th, 2013. Thanks to Far East Films for the story.

Update: The full-length trailer is here but, sorry, no English subtitles yet.

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" Japanese Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: David Fincher (Social Network) is remaking 1954’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film has yet to be green lit, but Disney has placed a 3-month hold on Fincher while they decide to move forward with the project or not. There’s already a script in the can, which is penned by Seven’s scriptwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker.

Richard Fleischer’s 1954 film starred Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre. Based on the book by Jules Verne, the plot involves a ship that’s sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings.

Updates: According to Cinema Blend, looks like Brad Pitt may no longer be attached to the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake. Instead, G.I. Joe’s Channing Tatum is now being approached by the studio.

"The Departed" Theatrical Poster

The latest news out of the Berlin International Film Festival is that Martin Scorsese will serve as executive producer on Andrew Lau’s next film, called Revenge of the Green Dragons. Our readers probably don’t need reminding that Scorsese’s hit film The Departed was an English-language remake of Andrew Lau’s Infernal Affairs – but, hey, Scorsese did thank Lau when he won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Production is scheduled to begin on Revenge of the Green Dragons in April. The film will presumably be shot in English; this isn’t Andrew Lau’s first American endeavor as he helmed the little-seen 2007 serial killer thriller The Flock, starring Richard Gere. Green Dragons is based on a New Yorker article and will follow two Chinese immigrants who arrive in the States only to become embroiled in the New York crime world.

"Real" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Kiyoshi Kurosawa was once one of the foremost genre filmmakers in Japan, thanks to his unique brand of unsettling horror as witnessed in films like Kairo (AKA Pulse) and Curse. To this day, Kairo remains arguably the finest example of ‘J-horror.’ In 2008, Kurosawa took a break from scaring audiences with the acclaimed drama Tokyo Sonata, which even won accolades at Cannes.

After that Kurosawa dabbled in the world of Japanese television to direct the 5-episode mini-series Penance, which would explain why we haven’t heard from the director in North America for awhile. That changes with the impending release of Real. While this film isn’t a return to horror for Kurosawa, the film appears to be a psychologically gripping, sci-fi influenced story.

In Real, a young woman is sent into a coma after a failed suicide attempt. Her devoted boyfriend utilizes an experimental form of technology to dive into her comatose mind and try to uncover the reasons for her depression, which stem from an event during childhood. Could this be Inception by way of The Cell, with a uniquely Kiyoshi Kurosawa twist?

Check out the first trailer for Real here. The film is slated for theatrical release in Japan on June 1st, 2013.

Shin Ha-Gyoon is the "Running Man"

A new Korean action-comedy titled Running Man is slated for release in theaters over there this April 2013 – but it’s not what you think. No, this isn’t a remake of the popular 80’s Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Instead it’s a completely new story about a man (Shin Ha-Gyoon) who is wrongly accused of murder and decides to walk/run/drive as far away from the police as he can, turning himself into a fugitive. Actor Shin Ha-Gyoon is likely best known for his role in Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance.

Helmer Jo Dong-Oh’s sole previous directing credit was 2006’s martial arts fantasy The Restless, which did actually receive a North American release courtesy of Genius Products. The teaser trailer for Running Man is online with English subtitles and it looks to offer non-stop chase sequences and auto destruction in the vein of that other Korean hit, Quick. Thanks to Far East Films for the heads up.