Takashi Miike is at Cannes for the premiere of his (100th!) new film Blade of the Immortal, a jidaigeki (period drama) action film based on the manga series by Hiroaki Samura.
“The original manga was serialised for 19 years, in the past many Japanese filmmakers have tried to make in into a movie,” Miike said in an interview with Screen Daily. “However due to its extreme content, there’s been a history of numerous setbacks…I believe it was my destiny to be on board this project.”
The story follows Manji, a samurai who cannot be killed by any wound, but who is vulnerable to a rare poison. Manji is enlisted by a young girl to avenge her parents, who were killed by a master swordsman. Blade Of The Immortal features several extravagant fight scenes, including one sequence that pits 300-to-one.
Below you can watch the first full-length English-language trailer for the film, along with some clips, which has arrived following the Cannes premiere. Blade of The Immortal was released in Japan in April, but no U.S. release date has been announced yet by Magnet.
Blade of the Immortal will be released by Magnet.