Realising that the world of cinema is truly a poorer place without a 79th remake of Akira Kurosawa’s seminal 1954 epic Seven Samurai, the Weinstein Company has been itching to get one going for months. Now it has scared up a director, with The Tournament’s Scott Mann nabbing the job.
The Weinsteins have rounded up $60 million to throw at John Fusco’s script, which will switch the plot’s focus to present-day Thailand. And while the basic concept of a town under threat looking for fighting types who can step in to save it stays the same, this time the call goes out to mercenaries from around the world to bring their battle skills.
Thanks to The Tournament – which featured a roving battle between the world’s deadliest assassins who descend upon an unsuspecting town every seven years – Mann is considered the best candidate to take on this latest version of Kurosawa’s tale. He’ll work with the company on developing the script further.
There’s no word on a schedule yet, but the Weinsteins, with the apparent backing of Kurosawa Productions, are looking to get it made later this year.
What say you? Bad idea, or can it work provided they find a fresh take on the story? It has been pulled off successfully before, but do we really need another?