Jim Sturgess & Koji Yakusho to Star in “Defending The
! JIM STURGESS & KOJI YAKUSHO TO STAR IN “DEFENDING THE ENEMY” ! Los Angeles, CA, May 16, 2014– Producer Jonathan Sanger announced today Jim Sturgess & Koji Yakusho will star in the new feature film, “Defending the Enemy.” James Moll is attached to direct. Based on the book “A Trial of Generals,” the story follows the widely publicized war crimes trial of General Matsaharu Homma at the end of WWII. Accused of organizing the brutal death march in Bataan, Philippines, Homma‘s destiny appears doomed when General MacArthur assigns the neophyte defense attorney John Skeen to prepare his defense. Based on actual events, the story is not so much about a trial as it is about the nobility of two very different soldiers. Principal photography is set for August. Executive Producer, Ellen Wander, along with her company, Film Bridge International, is overseeing the financing and worldwide distribution for “Defending the Enemy.” ! The UK actor, Jim Sturgess had his breakthrough role as “Jude” in the feature film, “Across the Universe.” He soon followed played opposite Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana in "The Other Boleyn Girl” and starred opposite Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne in "21." Sturgess also received critical acclaim in the Ridley Scott’s award winning, “Heartless” and most recently starred with Geoffrey Rush in Giuseppe Tornatore’s “La migliore offerta” and opposite Patricia Arquette and Chloë Sevigny as a furniture salesman turned bank robber in the feature film, “Electric Slide.” ! Kôji Yakusho, one of Japan's most gifted and popular leading men, starred along side Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in Alejandro Inarritu’s “Babel.” Yakusho first gained international success with his portrayal of a struggling young executive trying to master ballroom dancing in the original Japanese version of “Shall We Dance?," The film went on to become one of the highest-grossing Japanese movies in the world.
[Show full text]