In the spirit of keeping up with all things Yasuke, apparently there’s more than the few that I knew of as the project reported initially back in Spring of 2017 is still stirring about. That one had originally had Gregory Widen penning the script for Solipsist Films and De Luca Productions at the time.
As of Tuesday, the screenplay is now in the hands of Doug Miro (Narcos) with both companies now joined by Eric Feig’s newly launched Picturestart and X●ception Content, and now with a lead actor in place with MCU franchise headliner Chadwick Boseman starring as Japan’s first African samurai.
Yasuke was a native of Portuguese Mozambique who was brought to Japan as a slave to Jesuit missionaries. The first black man to set foot on Japanese soil, Yasuke’s arrival aroused the interest of Nobunaga, a ruthless warlord seeking to unite the fractured country under his banner. A complex relationship developed between the two men as Yasuke earned Nobunaga’s friendship, respect — and ultimately, the honor, swords and title of samurai.
Boseman will also produce through his X●ception Content banner along with Logan Coles, as will Feig, whose Picturestart formally launched last week, Mike De Luca and Solipsist’s Stephen L’Heureux.
“The legend of Yasuke is one of history’s best kept secrets, the only person of non-Asian origin to become a Samurai,” Boseman said. “That’s not just an action movie, that’s a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it.”
The Yasuke project, now on Boseman’s roster, is a rival piece opposite projects: a live-action film project at MGM from screenwriter Stuart C. Paul, and an animated series at Netflix to be voiced by Lakeith Stanfield, as well as an independent production from filmmaker/actor Calvert David Miles.
Boseman’s next big screen return will arrive with the July 12 release of redemption crime thriller, 21 Bridges, from STXfilms.