News
Shark Night's Ellis to Helm Live-Action Kite Remake (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The entertainment trade magazine Variety reported on Friday that director David R. Ellis (Shark Night 3D, Cellular, the sequels Final Destination 2 and The Final Destination, Snakes on a Plane, Asylum) has been attached to the live-action film remake of Yasuomi Umetsu's Kite anime. Distant Horizon's Anant Singh and Brian Cox are producing the project along with Moisés Cosío and Alejandro Saevich of Detalle Films in Mexico.
Ellis told Variety, "I am a big fan of Yasuomi Umetsu and honored to bring the amazing world of Kite to the big screen." Ellis' debut as a director took place in 1996 with the film Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Franciso, and he is currently directing several films in pre-production.
In 2006, Jorge and Javier Aguilera were attached to the proposed live-action Kite film as directors. At that time, Anant Singh was set to produce with Rob Cohen from a screenplay by Joshua Rubin. The remake was originally announced in 2003, when Rob Cohen (Director of XXX, The Fast and the Furious) acquired rights to the live-action film.
According to Variety, the Kite remake will be an action film about a young woman with financial troubles. A corrupt security force that had been selling young women murders her police officer father. The woman teams up with her father's former partner to uncover the mystery of his death, unaware she was betrayed from the start.
The producers are now casting with an eye towards a January start of production.
Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.
[Via Dark Horizons]
Update: Background information added
Update 2: More background information and summary added
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history