Kitano's Back in The Saddle And - Not Surprisingly - As Unconventional As Ever ....

This news first turned up in english thanks to Jason Gray a few days back but I was out of the country at the time and only came across it now ...

Back when Takeshis' released director Kitano Takeshi made a big deal about how the film represented the end of an era for him, how he was putting his old persona to bed and now wanted to make more conventional films. There was more than a bit of irony in this considering that Takeshis' - by far his LEAST conventional film - actually followed Zatoichi - by far his MOST conventional film - but that was his story and he was sticking to it. And he still seems to be sticking to it but if this is his version of conventional film making you've got to wonder what would happen if he were to start experimenting ...

Kitano's latest project has just been announced and it sounds like it could easily be a continuation of Takeshis'. Titled Kantoku - Banzai!, 『監督・ばんざい！』 it is, once again, a hugely self referential film starring Kitano as a director named Kitano Takeshi attempting to make a box office hit and cycling through a range of genres along the way. The film has apparently already been shot secretly and is slated for a 2007 release.

Details at Jason Gray's blog here.
More details at Ryuganji