George Takei might soon have another fight on his hands. Now that Kamala Films has acquired the rights to make a Hollywood version of Lone Wolf and Cub, it shouldn’t be long before an uproar breaks out about non-Asian casting choices. The 1970’s manga will be adapted for the screen by Blade Runner scribe David Peoples and wife Janet. Fast Five’s Justin Lin is set to direct. It seems like they have a lot of good people on board, it will just be a matter of who they get to play these pivotal roles and how much of the original story they’re going to change.
Here is a synopsis compliments of Mangatraders: “Two Samurai with their own code of honour are on a mission of revenge. Murdering Saints and Villains for 500 Ryo per head, the Lone Wolf, Itto Ogami, his son Daigor, and Daigoro’s Babycart, put no value on their lives and value each other’s lives as their own.” The revenge mission involves going after the men who murdered the samurai’s wife and baby mama. One scene in particular, which should not be cut from the new story, involves the samurai basing his entire future on the choices of his infant son. He sets a ball and a sword before the kid and waits to see which one his son chooses. The ball means seppuku and the sword means they go on “the road to hell” as avenging ronin.
The original manga, penned by Kazuo Koike and drawn by Goseki Kojima, has been widely influential. There have been seven films, two TV shows and American comic artists like Frank Miller have worked on subsequent volumes of the book, distributed in the US by Dark Horse Comics. The manga even inspired a Deadpool cover.
Back in 2002, novelist Max Allen Collins acknowledged the influence of Lone Wolf and Cub on his graphic novel Road to Perdition. (A film adaption was brought to the big screen starring Tom Hanks). Then in 2003, Paramount had Darron Aronofsky attached to a live-action Lone Wolf and Cub project that went the way of his Batman Year 1 and Ronin adaptations (nowhere).
The story has a lot of potential if done right. It will really depend on whether they try to make it a modernized version set in some part of the US or stick to the original samurai story. Considering who’s on board, I’m hopeful that this one will not only make it off the ground but will be something fans can enjoy.
[Source: Deadline]
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