With director Carl Rinsch finally getting under way on his first big job – 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves – the director has tracked down a group of Japanese actors to fill out part of the main cast. A blend of largely unknown names and a couple of familiar faces make up the group, with Rinko Kukuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki and Tadanobu Asano all locking in to appear. Kukuchi might be the most recognizable, since she appeared in Babel, scoring an Oscar nomination for her raw supporting performance, before cropping up in a much lighter capacity as Bang Bang in The Brothers Bloom. Sanada, meanwhile, had roles in both The Last Samurai and Sunshine, and was mysterious islander Dogen in the final series of Lost. Tadanobu Asano is best known for Ichi the Killer, but will also be Hogun in this year's Thor and Nagata in next summer’s Battleship. The story takes on a story from 18th Century Japan that has been shot several times before – the titular warriors are forced to watch their master commit ritual suicide after assaulting a court official. They swear revenge and commit themselves to carrying it out, even if it means their death. With a script co-written by Wanted’s Chris Morgan alongside Hossein Amini, the film is listed as arriving either late this year or in 2012. | 
