Ghost of Tsushima film director Chad Stahelski (John Wick) was recently interviewed by Collider as part of the press tour for Day Shift (out now on Netflix). Stahelski revealed some interesting details about the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima film adaptation, chiefly his desire to push for an all-Japanese cast and a Japanese language, too.
It’s character driven. It’s got an opportunity for great action, great looks. And honestly, we’d to try to do it, all in character. Meaning, it’s a Japanese thing about the Mongols invading Tsushima island. A complete Japanese cast, in Japanese. Sony is so on board with backing us on that. I’ve been going to Japan since I was 16. I have a love of the country, love of the people, love of the language. To try to direct not only in my language but someone else’s and culturally shift my mindset to bring apart that in a cool way that still entices a Western audience.
The Ghost of Tsushima director understands subtitled movies don’t tend to do well in theaters, but he already thought of a particular way to make the film more appealing to foreign audiences.
I thought about that a lot what you’re talking about. If you come into my offices in Manhattan Beach, I have an entire walls and hallways of frames from the best silent films of all time. Fatty Arbuckle to Buster Keaton, to Charlie Chaplin, to the Keystone cops. Look, I believe in that. I believe that’s why Jackie Chan was successful is you didn’t have to speak Cantonese or Mandarin to get him. You saw it on his face.
There’s a way to direct actors. There’s a way to do it. Where a look can mean a look which can mean a look, which mean there are a lot of ways to do it. So, part of the challenge, not to jump over your question, but look, I think there’s a way to do it. And a way to direct the cast and a way to mellow dramatically enhance facial performance. So, if I turn the sound off, I want you to know what the scene is about, in whatever language.
The Ghost of Tsushima film adaptation was announced in March 2021. Four months ago, we learned that the script will be handled by Takeshi Doscher.
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