Tucked away in an otherwise dry announcement about Justin Lin setting up a deal with Universal last August was the tiny mention that the Fast Five director is developing a film based on acclaimed samurai manga Lone Wolf And Cub. Little has been heard about it since, but now the movie has the backing of Kamala Films and Twelve Monkeys writers David and Janet Peoples attached to craft the script.
Kazuo Kouke created the book, which was set in Japan’s feudal Edo period and follows Omagi Itto, the Shogun’s elite executioner. After an attempt by the rival Yagyu clan leaves Itto’s wife dead and the man himself on the run, falsely accused of a crime, he ends up wandering the country with his three-year-old son Daigoro. Working as an assassin for hire, Itto earns the iconic title and ends up seeking revenge on those who plotted against him.
The project is still at an early stage, but the hiring of the Peoples – who also worked on Blade Runner, Unforgiven and Ladyhawke among others – is a promising sign. “I’ve long admired the Peoples and their enduring body of work,” Lin says in a press release picked up by Deadline. “They’re a wonderful match for Lone Wolf And Cub and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with them on this powerful, epic tale.”
Since Lone Wolf has wandered the halls of development hell for so long already, and since Lin still has Fast Six and Fast Seven on his To Do list, we won’t hold our breath for it to happen just yet. We're just going to have to watch the Americanised twist on the same story, Road To Perdition, a few times to keep us going while we wait.