47 RONIN Beginning To Take Shape: Four Japanese Actors Sign On
According to Variety, four more actors have joined Keanu Reeves in director Carl Rinsch new imagining of the classic tale of 47 RONIN. These actors are namely Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano and Rinko Kikuchi - all Japanese actors of the highest caliber.
Universal's 47 RONIN is shaping up to be a major tentpole of 2012. The story revolves around lord-less samurais seeking revenge. The word rōnin literally means "wave man". The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's land. It then came to be used for a samurai who had lost his master. Honor obviously plays a huge role set in feudal Japan.
According to the Bushido Shoshinshu (the Code of the Samurai), a samurai was supposed to commit oibara seppuku (also "hara kiri" – ritual suicide) upon the loss of his master. One who chose not to honor the code was "on his own" and was meant to suffer great shame. The undesirability of ronin status was mainly a discrimination imposed by other samurai and by the daimyo (the feudal lords).
Within this framework, these ronin seek to revenge the death of their master. The story has been done before, but with the budget and actors involved this time around I feel we will be in for a treat.
47 RONIN is slated for a November 21, 2012 release in 3D theaters everywhere.
