Word is that The Weinstein Co., fresh off a hit weekend with The Forbidden Kingdom, are preparing yet another take on Akira Kurosawa’s epic, The Seven Samurai, to open in 2009. This ground-breaking project is undoubtedly proceeding in the interest of those who not only missed out on Kurosawa’s classic original film, but also the first Hollywood remake The Magnificent Seven, the dubiously anachronistic PS2 beat-em-up interpretation Seven Samurai 20XX and the brilliant anime adaptation Samurai 7.

Despite the utter failure of recent remakes of Japanese films which have been constrained to hasty J-Horror retreads, the new version of The Seven Samurai reportedly promises not only to be “high-quality” and “action-packed” but also “Asian-themed.” Additional details are scarce for the time being. Also uncertain is whether this new film will provide atonement for past sins or continue the Weinsteins’ ham-handed mishandling and modification of Asian films, but fans of the original and/or the plethora of existing remakes are encouraged not to hold their breath.

TWC’s Asian Film Fund (via Variety)

By Eugene Poon