J-pop idol Matsuura Aya will be playing the role of Saki Asamiya in the latest version of SUKEBAN DEKA. The film is based on ever so popular TV series in the 80’s of the same title. It spawned three sequels and one motion picture. Three hotties played the role before, Saito Yuki, Minamino Yoko and Asaka Yui. Well, After an absence for 18 years, it is time for a hot girl to kick some ***censored*** once again. 
The film is about a high school girl fighting crimes with, guess what, a super weapon. a YOYO! Principal photography is scheduled to start this month, with the movie scheduled to be released this fall.
Meanwhile the original film which was released in 1987 will be out on region 1 DVD from Media Blasters this March.

Sony Vice President of DVD Programming Michael Stradford has stated that US region 1 DVD of FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN will now be released by the end of this year 2006. Why? They just don’t have enough time complete supplement discs. This film is what SPIRITS WITHIN should have been. It is a great film for all FF fans. I simply enjoyed it.

This is a FF year in Japan and possibly in the US as well. Square Enix has released another video game sequel to FF VII, DIRGE OF CERBERUS: FINAL FANTASY VII and the latest of the series FINAL FANTASY 12 will be out next month in Japan.

Director Yoji Yamada has cranked up production of his latest and the last segment of Samurai trilogy BUSHI NO ICHIBUN. The film stars the Japan’s most popular pretty boy Kimura Takuya (He starred in Wong’s 2046).  The story revolves around a low-class samurai, who went blind after his was poisoned, seeks revenge against the man responsible for it and also stole his wife. First of Trilogy TWILIGHT SAMURAI was nominated for an Oscar a couple years ago and his second in trilogy HIDDEN BLADE will be released this summer by Tartan FIlms .

That’s right. Rumor has it that 2046 director Wong Kar Wai is planning to make a film based on Hurricane Katrina. And he wants a star of KONG Adrien Brody. He is finishing up a script now but has alreadey scouted locations for the film. He will be shooting in New York because damages in New Orleans are still too severe.(That doesn’t stop the man Tony Scoot to shoot his latest Deja Vu).
The budget is supposedly around US 50 millions. This is interesting move for Wong. A diseaster film directed by Wong...Hope this won’t be A DAY AFTER TOMORROW.

The poster for 2 BECOME 1 is banned from MTR in Hong Kong. Why? Because it is nippleless and that makes it creepy. Or maybe because it is missing one of breasts. The film about breast cancer opens in March in Hong Kong. You can read the full story at Media Asia site.