Takeshi Kitano, the filmmaker and star of such classics as Violent Cop, Sonatine and more, is currently making an untitled film for Amazon MGM.
One of the most famous stars in Japan, Takeshi Kitano, is making a movie for Amazon MGM Studios. At present, nothing else is known about what Kitano’s making; a statement from the production published by Variety simply says that Amazon “will produce globally acclaimed Japanese director Takeshi Kitano’s feature film.”
It also adds that Kitano will star, continuing a tradition that stretches back 35 years. The multi-talented actor, director, comedian, writer and occasional game designer has written, directed and starred in such classic films as Violent Cop (1989), Boiling Point (1990), Sonatine (1993) and Hana-bi (1997). More recently, Kitano made the Outrage trilogy (2010-2017) of gangster films, and the samurai drama Kubi, which made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
Kitano has also starred in other filmmakers’ movies, including Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (alongside David Bowie, among others), Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and the Hollywood version of Ghost In The Shell (2017).
On TV, Kitano is perhaps best known in the west for lending his name to the febrile game show Takeshi’s Castle, which has been exported to countries all around the world since it began airing in 1986. Interestingly, the series’ 2023 revival was streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Of his new deal with Amazon, its head of international originals, James Farrell said: “Kitano is an icon, not only in Japan but in the sphere of global film and media entertainment, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with him on the project, soon to launch on Prime Video. This collaboration further augments Amazon MGM Studios’ vision to be the home for talent, which will lead to many more successful collaborations in the time to come. We’re confident that fans and followers of Kitano-san will be excited with anticipation to watch what the genius filmmaker has in store.”
Kitano’s new film is “currently filming diligently” according to Amazon. We’ll bring you more as we get it.
