Nearly a year after finding a writer for the film, Chad Stahelski has shared a cautious update on the Ghost of Tsushima movie. Largely inspired by classic samurai films, including those helmed by Akira Kurosawa, the Sucker Punch-developed action-adventure game centered on Jin Sakai, a disgraced samurai living on the titular Japanese island who must redeem himself and save his home from the invading Mongolian forces in the late 1200s, debating whether to use more dishonorable methods to clear them out or remain an honorable samurai. Hitting PlayStation 4 in mid 2020, Ghost of Tsushima garnered largely favorable reviews from critics and was a smash hit for Sony, becoming one of the studio's fastest-selling original games with over 9.73 million copies sold by July 2022.
In a recent interview with Total Film (via ComicBook.com) discuss the highly anticipated John Wick: Chapter 4, Chad Stahelski offered a cautious update for the Ghost of Tsushima movie. Though eager to get to work on the project and teasing a "great script" having been turned in for the film, he did note that a variety of ongoing negotiations have made a timeline for its production unclear. See what Stahelski shared below:
[Ghost of Tsushima] would be my favorite to do next. Without going into crazy detail, it's something I'm super interested in. We have a really great script. We have a really good creative team behind it. It's just about getting all the business end of things locked in. It's kind of in that little bit of flux where everybody is trying to tighten up the deal to get everything going, and to make sure we do the best with it. It's a simple thing: getting a great script, and starting to put together a cast. It just takes a lot of moving parts.
Everything We Know About The Ghost of Tsushima Movie
Development on the Ghost of Tsushima movie adaptation was first announced in early 2021 when Sony Pictures and the freshly launched PlayStation Productions got to work putting the film together, bringing on Stahelski to helm the project. Stahelski, best known for helping launch the John Wick franchise as the co-director of the original Keanu Reeves-led movie and solo director of all three subsequent sequels, will also be producing with Alex Young and Jason Spitz via his 87Eleven Entertainment banner alongside Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions and executive producer Peter Kang from Sucker Punch. The Ghost of Tsushima movie marked one of multiple game adaptations in the works at PlayStation Productions at the time, alongside the now-airing The Last of Us show on HBO, the Tom Holland-led Uncharted movie and the in-production Gran Turismo movie and Twisted Metal series.
Not much is known about the plot for the Ghost of Tsushima movie, though Stahelski has teased that it will remain largely faithful to its source material, ensuring that it would still be an exploration of the Mongols invading Tsushima, while not confirming whether Jin Sakai will still be the central protagonist. Stahelski has also previously indicated his desire to produce the entire film in Japanese with a Japanese cast, of which "Sony is so on board" for in order to remain culturally authentic for the story and characters. While Akira Kurosawa is an obvious form of reference for the film, namely as the game includes a black-and-white mode named for the iconic director, Stahelski has further teased that the Ghost of Tsushima movie will be inspired by his love for manga and anime.
While Stahelski's latest comments may prove to be a bit more cautious, the Ghost of Tsushima movie still has a lot going in its favor. Not only has Stahelski proven his talents in the action movie directing with the John Wick franchise, but with his devotion to keeping the adaptation authentic to the game, and the recent success of HBO's The Last of Us showing PlayStation Productions has hit their stride in producing adaptations of their titles, they could find some confidence to produce it sooner than later. In the meantime, audiences can look forward to Stahelski's next directorial effort with John Wick: Chapter 4 hitting theaters on March 24.
Source: Total Film (via ComicBook.com)