Beast of Bataan

Created on Februay 12, 2007
Updated on May 2, 2009

May 2, 2009
Last December, Film Bridge International reported on their site that filming of "Beast of Bataan" was to begin in the first quarter of 2009 in Queensland Australia. But 'first quarter' has already passed! If they still regard Koji Yakusho as the star to play the role of General Homma, the possibility for this film to be released in 2010 is quite thin.

Recently Koji Yakusho has been preoccupied with "Gama no Abura / Toad's Oil", his first film as both director and actor, which is due to be released in Japan on June 6. During a recent TV interview, he mentioned that he would join in filming a historical period, 'Samurai' drama in summer. Early this year, Koji reported on his official website that he was supposed to join in shooting a film to be produced in France and Germany, but that it was suddenly cancelled because of shortage of funds.

December 11, 2008
Film Bridge International recently put the following info about the shooting of "Beast of Bataan" on the "About us" page:

Combining with top Directing and Producing talent, FBI has recently begun to expand its feature film business. Along with noted producer Jonathan Sanger (producer of “Vanilla Sky,” “Mission Impossible II,” “Elephant Man” and the musical, “The Producers”), FBI is overseeing the financing for the WW II courtroom drama, “Beast of Bataan” to be directed by the noted filmmaker, Paul Verhoeven (“Black Book,” “Basic Instinct,” “Total Recall”). Koji Yakusho (“Babel,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”) will star in an ensemble cast. Filming begins first quarter 2009 in Queensland Australia.

The new info is firstly that the director is not Fred Schepisi but Paul Verhoeven, who was originally supposed to direct the film and secondly that it is now announced that "Filming begins first quarter 2009 in Queensland Australia".

The IMDb has deleted all the previous info about this film, including the message board; and has just announced that this film is due to be released in 2010.

March 1
The About us page of Film Bridge International needs attention. It says:
"Combining with top Directing and Producing talent, FBI has expanded its feature film business. Along with noted producer Jonathan Sanger (producer of “Vanilla Sky,” “Mission Impossible II,” “Elephant Man” and the musical, “The Producers”), FBI is overseeing the financing for the WW II courtroom drama, “Beast of Bataan” to be directed by Fred Schepisi (“Empire Falls,"“A Cry in the Dark” “It Runs in the Family,” “Plenty”). Koji Yakusho will star in an ensemble cast."

February 28 Hayden Christensen's role in " Beast of Bataan"
On this website there is a detailed story about "Beast of Bataan".
It is certain that there will be no shooting of this film in March, 2008, but before long
a decision will be taken about when production can commence, with Koji Yakusho portraying General Homma.

Hayden Christensen himself has announced that in his role he will portray Major Skeene,
Gen. Masaharu Homma's young American military lawyer.

February 25
Please open the "Beast of the Bataan" site of Film Bridge International. You will not find the names of Hayden Christensen, William Hurt, and Willem Defoe on the cast any more. Only Koji Yakusho's name is listed there. Reportedly this film is due to begin shooting late in February 2008 in Australia. Has filming schedule been postponed again, I wonder?
I am quite puzzled about this film.

November 23
Here you can read the article (from Empire Magazine) on Hayden Christensen talking about "Beast of Bataan" and his role in this film.
"... The World War II movie, directed by Fred Schepisi and co-starring Willem Defoe and William Hurt, tells the true story of the trial of Masaharu Homma, a Japanese general implicated in the Bataan Death March, in which around 100,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were marched by Japanese soldiers to prison camps and violently mistreated along the way. Christensen will play Homma's lawyer and filled us in on a few more details about the movie. "

"It's essentially a courtroom drama," he says. "It’s a very powerful story. It comments on how war is wrong and there is no right side and it’s all sort of fucked up...I play an American solider coming back from the war who is assigned to defend this Japanese general simply because he studied law before he went into service. The Americans are trying to set him up for the fall. My character becomes aware of that and really does his best to get him off the hook. Because of the corruptness of war, it doesn’t really work out for him...It felt like a good way of commenting on what is going on around the world without actually saying what is going on around the world.”... (Thanks, hydnfnevr)

November 12
Director Fred Schepisi reports on his official website (Current projects):
"Beast of Bataan " Pre-production due to start late Nov, filming in late Feb.
Set in the Phillippines at the end of the second world war, the war crime trials of a Japanese General who was known as the Beast of Bataan explores who is ultimately responsible for the actions of the common soldier.

November 7
Here is the latest info on this film. It is the REUTERS/Hollywood Reporter news under the title of "Christensen retained for Bataan Death March film" dated on Nov. 6. It says, Koji Yakusho, who played the father of Rinko Kikuchi's character in "Babel," is in negotiations to portray Homma. Willem Dafoe and William Hurt also are in talks to join the film.

Regarding the film shooting time and place, it says, "The independently financed production is eyeing a February start date in Australia. Fred Schepisi will direct from an adaptation of Lawrence Taylor's tome "A Trial of Generals.""

Here's another news site on this film.

November 7
I have just found a list of the cast members for this film on Hollywood.com:

Koji Yakusho Masahura Homma
William Hurt - Cast
Charlie Hunnam - Cast
Willem Dafoe - Cast
Hayden Christensen - Cast

August 17
The Film Bridge International put the name of Hayden Christensen instead of Charlie Hunnam on their "Beast of Bataan" page. The names of the other three actors, Koji Yakusho, William Hurt and Willem Dafoe are still there. What does this mean, I wonder?

May 23
Plot summary of "Beast of Bataan" based on IMDb
"Philippines. 1946. After four long years at war, Major John Skeen is about to ship home when he receives his final assignment. At a military tribunal created by General Douglas MacArthur, he will head the defense team representing Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma, the notorious 'Beast of Bataan' and presumed architect of the Bataan Death March. With no experience in criminal law and little time to prepare, he and three other GIs must find a way to defend their enemy. Written by Anonymous"

April 30
I was astonished to open the IMDb's "Beast of Bataan" site this morning.
The cast of this movie was announced and I found that Koji Yakusho would perform
the role of Gen. Masaharu Homma!

March 30
I found an interesting English message board on General Masaharu Homma on the historychannel.com

For General Homma's background information, please read "The Trial of General Homma" on the page of the American Heritage Com.

IMDb:Beast of Bataan

February 12, 2007

On February 7, 2007, I was astonished to find the info on this film on the internet (Film Bridge International).
   "1945 Tokyo/Philippines. Four young military lawyers receive the least desirable assignment in the entire postwar occupation of Japan from Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur - they are to represent a Japanese General (Koji Yakusho) who has been accused of being responsible for the notorious Bataan Death March.
   At first they do their best to evade their new career-destroying assignment. Then they begin to discover that General Homma, known as the “Beast of Bataan,” is a good and honorable man who was not, in fact, involved with the crimes for which he was accused. But MacArthur, bears a secret grudge against Homma, who was the only Japanese officer to ever defeat him in battle.
    The young American military lawyers endeavor to save Homma from his obvious fate, fighting not only their own commanding officers but also Homma himself, who knows he is destined to die.
    This is a story in which villains turn out to be heroes, heroes turn out to be villains, and a group of young soldiers, along with an imprisoned alleged war criminal, provide a lesson in courage."

The news has not been confirmed by Koji Yakusho's office as of today, but I would like to glean from the internet various pieces of info about "Beast of Bataan".

Beast of Bataan

Wikipedia: Masaharu Homma