| Projects Information; Beast of Bataan |
| 2008 |
Character: Robert Pelz : Young Rookie AttorneyRelease Date: 2008/2009 Directed By: Fred Schepisi Written By: Christopher Carlson and Mark Jean Genre: Drama / War MPAA Rating: N/A Produced by: Jonathan Sanger and Sarah Black / Forest Park Pictures Distributed by: Forest Park Pictures Budget: N/A Filming Dates: N/A Cast: ....Willem Dafoe...Gen. Douglas MacArthur ...William Hurt...Com. Jonathan Wainwrigh ...Koji Yakusho...Gen. Masaharu Homma Filming Locations: Australia Synopsis: Set in the Phillippines at the end of the second world war, the war crime trials of a Japanese General who was known as the Beast of Bataan explores who is ultimately responsible for the actions of the common soldier. A true story of the trial of the Japanese general who was executed for his role in the 1942 Bataan Death March, during which thousands of American and Filipino POWs died on a forced march to captivity. Trivia and Facts: N/A |
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Christensen to produce, act in ‘Beast of Bataan’- Hayden Christensen, who played the plum Anakin Skywalker role in two “Star Wars” prequels, confirmed to us that he will produce and star in “Beast of Bataan,” a courtroom drama about the Japanese general in charge of the Bataan Death March. In an interview in New York last Monday, the star of “Jumper,” a science fiction thriller, said that award-winning actors Willem Dafoe and William Hurt will play General Douglas MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright, respectively, in the film adaptation of Lawrence Taylor’s book, “A Trial of Generals: Homma, Yamashita, MacArthur.” War crimes trial Christopher Carlson and Mark Jean’s screenplay will focus on the war crimes trial of Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma, the presumed architect of the Bataan Death March and who was known as the “Beast of Bataan.” Thousands of American and Filipino prisoners of war (POWs) suffered and died on the forced march from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas,Tarlac. The website of Film Bridge International, which is described as “overseeing the financing” for “Beast of Bataan,” posted the film’s plot details: “1945 Tokyo/Philippines. Four young military lawyers receive the least desirable assignment in the entire postwar occupation of Japan from Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur—they are to represent a Japanese general who has been accused of being res-ponsible for the notorious Bataan Death March. Villains, heroes “At first, they do their best to evade their new career-destroying assignment. Then they begin to discover that General Homma, known as the ‘Beast of Bataan,’ is a good and honorable man who was not, in fact, involved with the crimes for which he was accused. But MacArthur bears a secret grudge against Homma, who was the only Japanese officer to ever defeat him in battle. “The young American military lawyers endeavor to save Homma from his obvious fate, fighting not only their own commanding officers but also Homma himself, who knows he is destined to die. “This is a story in which villains turn out to be heroes, heroes turn out to be villains, and a group of young soldiers, along with an imprisoned alleged war criminal, provide a lesson in courage.” Filming in RP? While Hayden confirmed that the movie will be filmed in Australia, Hayden said everything is “still up in the air.” So let’s keep our fingers crossed that Hayden and his colleagues will consider filming in the Philippines. “I’m not really sure though when we’re going to put this movie into production,” the Vancouver, Canada native admitted. “But this is definitely a movie that I want to do. I don’t know if this movie will necessarily be my next project but it will definitely be one of the next couple of projects.” “Willem Dafoe is involved, as is William Hurt,” said the actor who impressed critics as the plagiarist Stephen Glass in the true story, “Shattered Glass,” and as a disaffected son in “Life as a House.” Courtroom drama Here is Hayden’s description of “Beast”: “It’s a courtroom drama about the trial of this Japanese general, Masaru Homma, who is being tried for these war crimes committed during the Bataan Death March. I play an American soldier returning from the war who is assigned to defend him. My character has no business being in a courtroom. He just studied law briefly before he went to serve in the war. It is really quickly evident that the General is being given poor counsel and is set up to take the fall even though he’s not really entirely guilty.” “It’s really a touching story,” Hayden added. “A lot of the scenes in the courtroom are taken from actual transcripts of the case. I believe it was the first documented court case (during that time).” Crucial titular role The name of Hayden’s young military lawyer character is Major John Skeen. Kôji Yakusho, who landed the crucial titular role, memorably played Rinko Kikuchi’s father in the acclaimed film, “Babel.” Paul Verhoeven, who megged “Basic Instinct,” was set to direct. But he has been replaced by Fred Schepisi, the filmmaker behind Meryl Streep’s awards and nominations as an Australian woman accused of murdering her baby in “A Cry in the Dark.” Fred’s other credits include “Six Degrees of Separation,” “Roxanne,” and “Empire Falls,” which starred Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Ed Harris and won the 2006 Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series or Movie Made for Television. “It’s a way for me to comment on the war without having to actually talk about what’s going on today,” said the 26-year-old actor-producer. Another reader, GML wrote: “Hayden’s performance in ‘Shattered Glass’ shows he is well prepared to take on real life topics and play a character in conflict under difficult circumstances.” Christensen retained for Bataan Death March film- Hayden Christensen will star in "Beast of Bataan," the true story of the trial of the Japanese general who was executed for his role in the 1942 Bataan Death March, during which thousands of American and Filipino POWs died on a forced march to captivity. Christensen is playing the rookie attorney who defended the general, Masaharu Homma, during his war crimes trial in the Philippines. Koji Yakusho, who played the father of Rinko Kikuchi's character in "Babel," is in negotiations to portray Homma. Willem Dafoe and William Hurt also are in talks to join the film. The independently financed production is eyeing a February start date in Australia. Fred Schepisi will direct from an adaptation of Lawrence Taylor's tome "A Trial of Generals." Christensen retained for indie 'Beast'- Hayden Christensen is starring in "Beast of Bataan," the true story of the trial of Masaharu Homma, the Japanese general who was implicated in the Bataan Death March. Jonathan Sanger and Sarah Black will produce the period indie along with Christensen's production company Forest Park Pictures, headed by Tove Christensen. Koji Yakusho, known to American audiences as the father of Rinko Kikuchi's character in "Babel," is in negotiations to portray Homma. Willem Dafoe and William Hurt also are in talks to join the film, which will be directed by Fred Schepisi. Based on Lawrence Taylor's tome "A Trial of Generals," the story follows the aftermath of the 1942 Bataan Death March, in which 10,000 American and Filipino POWs died on a forced march to captivity. Christensen is playing Homma's young lawyer, trying his first case and fighting against the death penalty for his client, who is being tried for war crimes by U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Chris Carlson and Mark Jean wrote the screenplay. The independently financed production is eyeing a February start date in Australia. Christensen and his company recently signed with Paradigm for representation in all areas. He next appears in "Jumper," Doug Liman's big-budget adaptation of the best-selling young-adult novel for Fox and Regency. |
| External Links |
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...Film Bridge International ...Fred Schepisi's Official Site ...The Trial of General Homma ...IMDB |
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