Also, Garrett sends me this detailed, lengthy casting call for an upcoming movie starring Zhang Ziyi and South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun called Laundry Warrior, which looks a lot like it could be that Hollywood remake of Seven Samurai the Weinsteins were talking about a little while ago, judging from the cast and story description. It's pretty interesting, and reveals quite a bit:
LAUNDRY WARRIORThis movie sounds insane. If it is indeed a remake of Seven Samurai, it's going to be one crazy, epic tricked-out remake. Here's a brief article on Jang Dong-gun's involvement: Actor Jang Dong-gun to Star in Hollywood Film. The movie is scheduled to start filming next month. (Thanks, Garrett)
Feature Film
SAG
Producers: Barrie Osborne / Jooick Lee / Michael Peyser
Co-Producer: Steven Nam
Associate Producer: Stacy Ruppel
Director: Sngmoo Lee
Location: New Mexico
Start Date: 5/14/2007
YANG: CAST (JANG DONG-KUN)
LIN: CAST (ZHANG ZIYI)
[THE COLONEL / LEADER] 45 to 65 years old, the leader of the Hell Riders, an imposing man in a white opera mask, The Colonel is a vicious, depraved sadist who leads his gang of 100 horsemen from town to town, spreading death and destruction. The leader of the Wild West equivalent of a biker gang, he's also the man who killed Lin's parents -- and in return, his face was horribly scarred by her. Back in Lode to lay the town waste, he is wrongly convinced that his men are a match for a pack of carnival freaks, and a lone Chinese warrior...LEAD (53) WILL ALSO BE SEEN IN FLASHBACK
[RON] 50 to 70, the town drunk in Lode, Ron is a belligerent, falling down, gutter drunk who appears to be harmless. But in fact, Ron is a legendary gunfighter, Thomas Dalton, famous for being able to kill from a great distance. When the Hell Riders descend upon Lode, Ron turns out to be the town's secret weapon: decked out once again in his gunfighter's togs, he takes up a position atop the Ferris wheel, and snipes at the invaders, picking them off with deadly accuracy. In the end, he is also revealed to be the Narrator of the movie, re-telling the legend of Yang, the greatest warrior on Earth...LEAD (9)
[8-BALL] An African-American Little Person, dapperly dressed in a torn-up suit and a battered silk top hat, 8-Ball is the unofficial leader of the carnival performers who have been stranded in Lode. Amiable, charming and well-spoken, he befriends Yang when he arrives in town, and tells him about the town's once-glorious history. Convinced that the glory days of Lode will come again, 8-Ball has a nasty trick of grabbing his enemies by their balls and refusing to let go -- and when enemies descend upon Lode in the form of the Hell Riders, 8-Ball proves to be as brave as any man alive...LEAD
[SLUG, PUG & RUG] A trio of boys in their late teens, they appear to be orphans, living in Lode, all of them obsessed with pulp fiction of the era, living on stories about gunfighters and warriors. Initially inclined to mock Yang, because he is far from their traditional image of a hero, they soon realize that he is an Eastern warrior come among them. When the Hell Riders attack the town, the three boys are given important jobs on the sidelines, keeping them far from danger...LEAD
[ASSASSIN LEADER] In his early 50s, Asian, a warrior with an icy, lethal gaze, wearing a ring carved into a scorpion, he is the leader of the Sad Flute order of assassins. The head of Yang's clan, he is outraged when Yang betrays his trust by saving an infant he was ordered to kill, and the Assassin Leader follows Yang from China to New Mexico, accompanied by his followers, intent on seeing the light die in Yang's treacherous eyes. After being caught in a three-way war against both Yang and the Hell Riders, he finally faces off against Yang in a one-on-one duel to the death...LEAD
[BAPTISTE] A GIANT, a man with massive hands and a bad stutter, Baptiste is one of the carnival performers stranded in Lode. Like the others, Baptiste is convinced that the carnival's luck is destined to turn -- but until it does, he is stuck and helpless. When the Hell Riders attack, Baptiste fights alongside the others, using a huge sledgehammer as his weapon of choice...3 speeches & 19 lines, at least 11 scenes SUPPORTING LEAD
[BILLY] Another carnival performer, Billy is a circus clown, a man with a profound hunger for an audience. Dressed in clown makeup, he is regularly seen with the other carnival performers, and is singled out for special humiliation by The Colonel. He later warns the others when the Hell Riders return to destroy every soul in town...7 lines, at least 11 scenes SUPPORTING LEAD
[CRAIG] A handsome fireworks expert, Craig is a flirtatious Lothario who is with the carnival troupe. Expert at cooking with black powder, Craig uses his pyrotechnical skills to help decorate the sky at Christmastime, and later fights against the Hell Riders alongside the other carnival performers.. SUPPORTING LEAD
[JAQUES] The acrobat / juggler with the carnival troupe, Jaques is another performer who's desperate for attention after long years of being stranded in the boonies. Frantic to charm the infant April, Jaques is also imperilled when the Hell Riders attack...SUPPORTING LEAD
[GEYSER] Another carnival performer, Geyser is a fire-eater, expert at spraying flame from his mouth. He too is regularly seen interacting with the other members of the troupe.. SUPPORTING LEAD
[IVAR] The local gold trader in Lode, he has turned real sour since the gold disappeared all those years ago. Now the unofficial mayor of a near-ghost town with only 50 people in it (and most of them carnival freaks), Ivar is a bitterly distrustful man who is slow to realize that "the skinny little laundry man" is in fact the world's greatest warrior -- and later hopes to buy his way out of trouble by giving Baby April to The Colonel..SUPPORTING LEAD
[ESMERELDA] Hispanic, the bearded lady in the carnival troupe, she too is regularly seen interacting with the other performers...SUPPORTING
[DEPUTY] He is The colonel's second in command, a bullying sadist who likes to conquer and destroy. Carrying an ornate sword, he leads a cavalry charge against the town, ordering everyone in town killed -- but he winds up sliced to death by Yang...
[GIRL / APRIL] A lovely Asian girl, about 6 years old, she is April seen five years after the defeat of the Hell Riders, listening to the heroic tale of Yang's battle against impossible odds...
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STORY LINE: Yang, the World's Greatest Swordsman, leaves his clan and flees Asia with baby April, the last of the enemy bloodline. Hoping to make a new life for himself as a humble laundryman in America's Wild West, he comes to know and care about the people of Lode, a small, forgotten town filled with carnival players. While there, Yang finds a pupil/lover in Lin, (a beautiful Asian girl), but also makes new enemies with the Hell Riders, a marauding gang of vicious thugs. Reluctant to stand forward and defend the town, because it will mean revealing his identity, Yang is soon forced to pick up his sword and lead the "carnies" and townsfolk in to an incredible battle against the loathsome Hell Riders. At the pitched height of that battle, Yang's past, the Asian sword clan he left behind, ("The Sad Flutes"), attack raising the battle to an epic crescendo...