Matthew Fox (World War Z, I, Alex Cross, “Lost”) will top line Emperor (working title) from director Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring) which is based on a screenplay by David Klass (Walking Tall, Desperate Measures, Kiss the Girls) and Vera Blasi (Woman on Top, Tortilla Soup).
Emperor will be produced by Yoko Narahashi (The Last Samurai), Gary Foster (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Sleepless in Seattle, The Soloist), Eugene Nomura (Tajomaru, Surely Some Day) and Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist). Emperor is a co-production between Fellers Film and Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment.
Inspired by true events, Emperor is an epic story of love and understanding set amidst the tensions and uncertainties of the days immediately following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. On the staff of General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces.
Fox will play the title role of General Bonner Fellers, one of MacArthurs leading Japanese experts, who is charged with reaching a decision of historical importance: should Emperor Hirohito be tried and hanged as a war criminal?
Interwoven with this nail-biting political thriller is the story of Fellers love affair with Aya, a Japanese exchange student he had met years previously in the U.S. Memories of Aya and his quest to find her in the ravaged post-war landscape help Fellers to discover both his wisdom and his humanity and enable him to come to the momentous decision that changed the course of history and the future of two nations.
Producer Gary Foster said: “We are thrilled to be working with Matthew Fox who is a fine actor and whose maturity and appeal fits perfectly with our films aesthetic.
Production is due to begin in January 2012 with lensing to take place in New Zealand and Japan.
(Photo Credit: WENN.com)
