By APA Staff

Grudge director takes on Shock Labrynth, Bong Joon-ho's Mother gets a US release, and Broadway's Legally Blonde comes to Korea. All this and more in the latest edition of News from Abroad.

Takashi Shimizu shock in 3D

Takashi Shimizu, director of The Grudge, has finished filming The Shock Labyrinth, which will be a 3-D movie telling the story of a group of teens faced with the surprise return of a friend they thought to be dead. Having taken a break from directing for several years, Shimizu hopes that 3D will revolution cinematic fear. Yuya Yagira as well as Suzuki Matsuo will star in the film, which is in the postproduction stage. --Megan Chun

Departures gets stage treatment

Japanese movie distributor Shochiku recently made the announcement that highly praised and multi-award winning film Okuribito (Departures) will be made into a stage play next year in Tokyo. Starting on May 28, 2010, the performances will take place at the Akasaka ACT Theater. The play will not star the film's actors Masahiro Motoki and Ryoko Hirosue; instead, the stage version will feature actors Kentaro Nakamura and Lena Tanaka. Some changes are being made to the story's plot in the stage version, but characters and concepts will be kept the same. The play will also have additional performances in both Osaka and Nagoya. --Kanara Ty

Critic Alexis Tioseco slain in the Philipipines

Filipino Canadian film critic Alexis Tioseco, 28, was found murdered the night of September 1st in Quezon City. According to reports, Tioseco and live-in partner Nika Bohinc, 30, were hog-tied and shot during a robbery at their home. Police are searching for the assailants who took off with jewelry, a laptop, and the couple's car. Tioseco was the founding editor of Criticine.com, one of the most comprehensive resources on Southeast Asian cinema, and frequently contributed to other publications such as Screen International, Rogue, Senses of Cinema, and Ekran, which was edited by Bohinc. --Brian Hu

Legally Blonde Comes to South Korea
 
South Korea is set to be the first Asian country to feature the Broadway musical Legally Blonde in Seoul this November, and Jessica, a member of the group Girls’ Generation is set to play heroine Elle Woods. The 20-year-old Korean American, who made her debut with Girls' Generation in 2007, will be joined by Lee Ha-nui, the 2007 Miss Universe third runner-up. Actress Kim Ji-woo was also cast for the role of Elle Woods and will be alternately playing the part. --Kristie Hang

Negishi wins Best Director at Montreal Film Festival

At the 33rd Montreal World Film Festival, Japan took home an award for Best Director, which went to Kichitaro Negishi. Negishi directed the film Viyon no Tsuma (Villon's Wife), an adaptation of the novel by Osamu Dazai. Japan has left its mark on the Montreal World Film Festival over the years. 12 years ago, Jun Ichikawa took home the Best Director award from the festival for the film Tokyo Lullaby. Last year, Okuribito (Departures) took home the Grand prix de Americas, the festival's most prestigious prize. --Kanara Ty

Jet Li Star in First Chinese Language Film since 2007
 
International star Jet Li will be returning to Chinese films with Taiwanese actress Kwai Lun-mei in Ocean Paradise. This will be Li’s first Chinese film since the 2007 hit The Warlords. He also announced that he would take a short break after Ocean Paradise to focus on charity work. Ocean Paradise commences filming in China this week. --Kristie Hang
 

Published: Friday, September 4, 2009