Chinese and Korean filmmakers producing their own version of Japanese hit movies or TV series is not new in the region. In mid-December, China announced plans to produce a movie version of “What a Wonderful Family,” a Japanese hit comedy.
On Sunday, John Woo, a Hong Kong director, said he would do a remake of “Manhunt,” a Japanese action thriller, for showing during the 2018 Spring Festival. He hoped the remake would boost his career after his last project, “The Crossing,” was a box-office flop, China.org reported.
One-Man Mission
Juko Nishumura, a Japanese writer, authored the novel “Manhunt” which is about a prosecutor framed up for robbery and rape. The prosecutor sets out to clear his name as a one-man mission. The owner of the rights to the novel is Media Asia, and its chairman, Peter Lam when he discovered that Woo was a fan of Japanese actor Ken Takakura – the star of “Manhunt” who died in 2014 – Lam offered the movie remake to Woo.
In a press conference in Beijing, Woo recalled meeting and talking with Ken Takakura after he director “A Better Tomorrow: in 1986. Although they mutually each other’s work, they did not have the opportunity to work together in one film. Woo said remaking “Manhunt” would be his tribute to the Japanese actor who played the role of Morioka.
First Foreign Movie in China
The original Japanese film “Manhunt” (also titled “You Must Cross the River of Wrath”) was directed by Junya Soto. When China began to open its door to other nations in 1978, “Manhunt” was the first foreign movie that China imported from Japan and was viewed by about 800 million people.
For the Chinese remake of “Manhunt,” Woo has cast Zhang Hanyu, a Chinese actor, Qi Wei and Wu Feixia, Chinese actresses, and Masaharu Fukuyama, a Japanese actor, for the key roles. Zhang Hanyu takes over the role of Ken Takakura. Woo began production in Osaka in June, according to Screendaily. Also joining the cast is Korean actress Ha Ji-won.
In 2015, Woo made “The Crossing,” a two-part romantic war epic at a cost of over 400 million. However, the film earned only 260 million yuan.