Zhang Ziyi Remaking Kurosawa? Oh No She Didn't!
How do you say "Don't mess with perfection" in Chinese?
We hear Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is planning to sign a three-picture English-language deal with indie kingmakers the Weinstein Co. to star in three pictures, including (say it ain't so) a remake of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai."
It's not that Zhang doesn't have the chops to take on the role of a peasant girl who disguises herself to fight in "Samurai." After all, her turns in "Hero" and "2046" were the stuff of legends. And the brothers Weinstein have done well for themselves in releasing Asian films for the mass American market, like the goofy-but-gorgeous "Shaolin Soccer."
Still, why can't they leave Kurosawa alone? And who can forget the backlash against "Geisha" for its pan-Asian casting to fill roles which in the book are all filled by Japanese?
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