Keanu Reeves samurai flick ’47 Ronin’ ain’t dead yet – unearthed promotional artwork

"47 Ronin" Promotional Poster

THE MOVIE: Directed by newcomer Carl Rinsch and starring Keanu Reeves, 47 Ronin is an 18th century set story centered on a band of samurai who set out to avenge the death of their master. Ichi the Killer star Tadanobu Asano, Battle Royale actress Kou Shibasaki, Twilight Samurai lead Hiroyuki Sanada, and Assault Girls Rinko Kikuchi have parts in the remake of this classic tale of ronin. The film is expected to be out Christmas 2013 in 3D.

Updates: Dark Horizons has details on the casting of the characters. Tthe Japanese teaser page for the film is already online. Keanu revealed more details on this take of the film. Collider uploaded the general premise behind this take on 47 Ronin. In short, Keanu plays a “half-breed” named Kai who teams up with Sanada’s ronin character to take on Lord Kira (played by Asano), the perp who murdered their master.

Pics and a premise for 47 Ronin have emerged at Marketsaw.blogspot.com, courtesy of Dark Horizons. At Collider, Kikuchi revealed she plays a witch in the film. THR suggests the film’s suffered from cost overruns and tensions on the set, but that Uni execs like what they see of the dailies. The Playlist reports that Atticus Ross, who collaborated with with Trent Reznor on the soundtracks for The Social Network, will be scoring 47 Ronin. Collider has the new 47 Ronin teaser poster.

The film, which is a critical tentpole release for the struggling Universal Pictures, has been bumped from November 2012 to a February 8th, 2013 release date. Possible reasons for the delay: reshoots, wanting to market the film during the crucial holiday season, more time to fine-tune the 3D conversion, etc.

Deadline reports that Universal Pictures has pushed 47 Ronin back almost a year – from February 8, 2013 to Christmas Day, 2013. Rumors indicate that Universal is ordering reshoots in order to make Keanu Reeves’ character come across as more heroic, as well as to strengthen the love subplot and improve the final battle. Reportedly, the action sequences are being handled with a similar style to The Matrix.

The Wrap reports that director Carl Rinsch has been kicked out of the editing room and Universal co-chairwoman, Donna Langley, is now overseeing the editing (apparently, she’s helping to add a love scene and additional dialogue). In addition, the production’s budget has soared from $175 million to $225 million. More money, more problems…

BREAKING NEWS: Universal has been quiet lately but some new promotional artwork turned up today, although the posters are dated for last year. Look for a glimpse of the controversial ‘monster’ that Keanu has to fight, a deviation from the original movie’s storyline.