By Halls
Variety reports that Los Angeles-based Splendent Media will serve as a sales agent to the “worldwide rights (outside Japan) to 69 titles from filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, including 19 screenplays that were never produced.” Not included in the deal are the four Kurosawa remakes already in production.
Hideyoshi Kato, execution committee president of rights-holder Akira Kurosawa 100 Project said of Splendent Media and founder Sakiko Yamada:
“In recent years, countless American and European filmmakers have expressed intense interest in remaking Kurosawa’s films. […] To help streamline this process, we are extremely pleased to have found in Ms. Yamada a representative who possesses a deep passion for Kurosawa’s work as well as strong connections to both the Japanese and U.S. entertainment industries.”
Kurosawa’s films are no stranger to US remakes (some notable ones being Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Roshomon). Seems like there’s always a Kurosawa remake in production, don’t it?
Hooray… more adaptations of Asian films. The collective response of most of the US film blogs that have ran this news piece has been along the lines of “Seriously, did that just happen?”. I’m not totally against it, as long as the films are in the hands of capable directors, but I can see why people are a little worried.
[EDITORS NOTE: While this submission from 8Asians reader Halls was originally meant to be passed to the 8Asians staff, I don’t think I would have said it any better myself so it’s here as is. What do you guys think?]
[Flickr photo credit: pasukaru76]
