First Tom Cruise starred in a remake of a classic sci-fi film, now Keanu Reeves is. First Tom Cruise played a samarai in a movie, now Keanu Reeves is.

Reeves has reportedly been signed to star in a remake of 47 Ronin, a story about a band of Japanese samarai swordsmen who avenge the murder of their master at the start of the 18th century.

IESB.com says the film will tell a "stylized version of the story, mixing fantasy elements of the sort seen in The Lord of the Rings pics, with gritty battle scenes akin to those in films such as Gladiator".



The script is being written by Chris Morgan, the man behind the recently-released Wanted, which starred Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman.

The website goes on to say, "Morgan is writing the script and tailoring it so that Reeves, who's half-Asian, can fit the role as one of the swordsmen".

Well, I'm not sure he's quite "half-Asian". He was in fact born in Lebanon to an English mother and an American father who is said to be of Hawaiian-Chinese descent.
Oh, well, close enough.



Reeves should be pretty good in the film though, well, his sword-fighting anyway, after showing his wares in The Matrix Reloaded (2003). Better than Cruise in The Last Samarai (2004) anyway.

The story of 47 Ronin is actually based on a true story of what has become a legendary attack by the samarai that occurred in 1702. It was turned into a four-hour film by the Japanese in 1941 and released just prior to the events of Pearl Harbor.

The intention is to begin shooting the Hollywood update of 47 Ronin early next year after a director is hired. But, no word yet on whether the director will be full-Asian, half-Asian, quarter-Asian or non-Asian.