Top Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi is in post-production of “Le Chemin du Serpent,” a French-language adaptation of his own 1998 film “The Serpent’s Path.”
The story sees a mysterious woman team up with a man whose daughter was killed and who is now seeking revenge. Together they kidnap members of an organization and torture them to find out what really happened.
With Damien Bonnard (“Asteroid City,” “Les Miserables”) and Shibasaki Ko (“47 Ronin,” “Battle Royale”) in the leading roles, the picture is the anchor title of the TIFFCOM sales slate of major Japanese studio Kadokawa.
Production is by Kadokawa and Jean-Luc Ormieres’ Cinefrance Studios. The Japanese company is handling world sales on the picture outside France and Belgium.
Kurosawa, who has been a regular visitor to Cannes with titles including “Pulse,” “Bright Future,” “Tokyo Sonata,” “Journey to the Shore” and “Before We Vanish”, is preparing to complete the new film in time for a summer 2024 release.
Kadokawa’s other new addition is in an altogether different register. Musical comedy drama “Let’s Go Karaoke” is in advanced post-production and headed for a January release in Japan.
Directed by Yamashita Nobuhiro and starring Ayano Go and Saito Jun, the film delivers a story adapted by Nogi Akiko from an original comic book story by Wayama Yama, about a school bully who is facing terrible humiliation and a hefty forfeit if he loses a karaoke competition. He picks on a stoical choir boy to help him get through rehearsals.
Kadokawa is also responsible for sales of “Neck” (aka “Kubi”), the historical action film directed by and starring Kitano Takeshi that had its world premiere in official selection at Cannes. The film now has a Nov. 23 theatrical release date for Japan.
In what has been a busy year for the company it now has a raft of other film titles set for release between now and next spring. These include: “Matched,” a dating thriller directed by Uchida Eiji (“Midnight Swan”) set for February; “Out,” an action drama about a youngster who had recently been released from juvenile reformatory but faces an early return, heading for a Nov. 17 release; Takashi Shimizu-produced horror title “Best Wishes to All,” which is completed but undated; and “Manzai Kyokai The Movie,” a feature documentary about Tokyo’s stand-up comedy scene, which will release in Spring 2024.
Kadokawa’s title that is furthest from completion is “6 Lying University Students,” a suspense-drama, in which a group of students seeking recruitment to an IT firm, suddenly discover that the company has changed the rules and where they thought that teamwork was wanted, the students must instead compete against each other. The film is based on a Kadokawa-published novel by Asakura Akinari and is set to release in late 2024.
