Japanese Crime Pic, SHIELD OF STRAW Gets The English-Language Remake Treatment

There is not a lot of love lost for director Miike Takashi's 2013 thriller, Shield Of Straw, based on author Kiuchi Kazuhiro's 2004 Kodansha crime novel of the same name. Osawa Takao and Matsushima Nanako led the cast with actor Fujiwara Tatsuya central to the film's premise about a team of Fukuoka detectives who come under fire from swarms of vigilantes when a vengeful billionaire puts a meaty contract out on a Tokyo-bound convoy transporting a murder suspect.

Made long prior to Miike's own professed promise of a return to formula with this year's Yakuza Apocalypse, Shield Of Straw was nearly panned by critics and fell to a mixture of cheers and louder jeers upon its Cannes premiere. Needless to say, there's always going to be some form of controversy when audiences bare certain expectations from directors, and though it's been two years since then, none of this appears to be an issue for the team now banding together for an English-language remake.

Variety is reporting that Chris Weitz, producer of About A Boy and The Golden Compass, as well as all four American Pie films, is set to produce the remake through his Depth Of Field banner with backing by All Nippon Entertainment Works and Nippon Television. Also to note is the a distinct vision clearly being set here for a solid actioner as hinted by the hiring of The Expendables 3, Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen scribes Creighton Rothberger and Katrin Benedikt for the screenplay.

Shield Of Straw, like most others, may not be the type of film for the crowd who isn't exactly fond of remakes and reboots, though again, that isn't to suggest they all don't work. Quite a few of them do when applied mindfully enough, and with any luck, the open-minded ones who may have seen the 2013 version may be able to appreciate what this one has in store despite whatever individual opinions are had. Besides, a director still hasn't been named and that could always be the defining factor in how well this latest effort bodes. 

Miike is currently underway with the upcoming manga sci-fi horror adaptation, TerraFormars with Yakuza Apocalypse preparing a stateside release in the U.S. this October through Samuel Goldwyn Films. Weitz himself also has other notable writing credits as of recent with his current script for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story now being applied under director Gareth Edwards for next December.

Stay tuned for more info on Shield Of Straw!