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Ken's Next Appears in Japanese Memories of Tomorrow
I've read many articles on movie websites on the Internet, claiming that Ken Watanabe is either confirmed for or rumored to be considering roles in five different movies after Memoirs of a Geisha. However, ROAR tells me differently. To quote:
"At the moment, the only project that we can confirm for Ken is Memories of Tomorrow, which is a Japanese production. We are negotiating on another feature film, however, at this time, we are unable to disclose any details."
Well, remember there's a Japanese actor in Hollywood named Kensaku (Ken) Watanabe who has acted in Bruce Lee films and Ninja flicks for years? I think we can see where the confusion is! You will often find articles and actor profiles confusing the two men and combining some of their acting credits. These articles do the same (they all mention The Last Samurai and/or Memoirs of a Geisha). So I don't know if ANY of these four movies is the one which "our" Ken is actually considering right now, but here they are:
- The Air I Breathe
- Pathfinder
- Chasing the Red Dragon
- The Battle of Red Cliffs
I'm sure it is safe to rule out The Air I Breathe because it starts filming in Mexico next month. Here's to hoping we'll find out soon! More importantly, let's hope the Japanese studio decides to release Memories of Tomorrow with subtitles (unlike, sadly, Kita no Zeronen, which hit Japanese screens on January 16th of this year). Even if it's only on video, that would make me happy.
In Memories of Tomorrow, Ken plays a man who must deal with the effect of Alzheimer's Disease on his cherished marriage. Ken also acts as executive producer of this movie.
Released December 9, 2005:Memoirs of a Geisha (Geisha no kaisooki)
-- [English] (2005?)
Chiyo is a young girl from a fishing village sold by her father to a slave trader. The innocent with the unusual grey eyes is then sold to an okiya (geisha house). Based on Arthur Golden's huge best-selling novel, this chronicles the life of the girl, renamed "Sayuri" (Zhang Ziyi). She strives to become a successful geisha and capture a rich danna (exclusive customer), against the wicked plans of rival Hatsumoto (Gong Li). Sayuri longs to love the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), a hotshot company executive who is kind to her on the street.