Shunji Iwai and Yu Aoi Back Together on Vampire Flick?

March 22, 2010 — 19 Comments

I just got a sudden adrenaline rush.

Not only Shunji Iwai and Yu Aoi together…

ON A VAMPIRE FLICK… in an English-language project.

SHOT IN VANCOUVER?

I’ll let Kevin from Nippon Cinema explain as I SPAZZ some more.

After spending the past few years screenwriting and producing, filmmaker Shunji Iwai (All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice) is returning to the director’s chair for a yet-untitled English-language vampire drama to begin shooting in Vancouver this May. Currently, the only plot info available is that the story will involve a seemingly average young man who secretly craves blood and seeks out suicidal women on the internet. However, the women need to fall in love with him before he’s able to get the full pleasure of sucking the life out of them (yep, sounds like internet dating all right). Actresses Amanda Plummer and Yu Aoi are signed on as cast members.

FYI, Amanda Plummer played opposite Sarah Polley on Isabel Coixet’s My Life Without Me.

I am conflicted, Vancouver is Lainey’s territory… should we pimp Yu to Lainey and let her fall in love with her, so she posts about Yu papz while in town? LOL, though Yu in Vancouver is like… another Japanese girl. I probably would have had a heart attack if I had still been living in Vancouver.

Okay, this means I really REALLY need to finish my If Only.

Please, sweet baby geezus let this film be my dream project. LOL

19 responses to Shunji Iwai and Yu Aoi Back Together on Vampire Flick?

  1. Holy $H!+!! This just made my year!

    I’m so happy right now!!!….Yu/Shunji reunion is a reality!!! My dream has come true!

    Although, I would have preferred it be a japanese film, since Shunji hasn’t really proven he could direct english speaking actors….just hope he doesn’t end up like Wong Kar Wai and My Blueberry Nights.

    All I want is for Yu to be one of the main leads in this. Or do you think he will do the same thing he did with Ayumi Ito,…have her act prominently in two films (Swallowtail and AALCC), then just bring her back for a small cameo (H&A)? I hope not.

    When Iwai offered Yu the role, I bet she accepted without even reading the script since it’s Shunji!….I mean, the man is kinda responsible for her career in a way.

    Do you think Yu will be speaking english in this film???

    How do you feel about Kevin Zegers?…the kid from AirBud!

  2. Well, I don’t know if Ayumi Ito was announced as “cast member” for H&A or if she just cameo it without announcement. So the fact that Yu’s announced, it makes it look like she’s a prominent role. And… OMG, Yu speaking English? That would be interesting…

    About Zegers, haven’t seen him on Gossip or much of his films (haven’t even seen AirBud LOL), can’t remember him on either Wrong Turn or Dawn of the Dead HA!. But Transamerica was an interesting project (haven’t seen it), and he was Emily Blunt’s student (and making her hot and bothered) on The Jane Austen Book Club. I could see girls falling for him, though he’s too “hunky” for a Shunji project, IMHO.

    I can see Sarah Polley and Michelle Williams working with Iwai, I think those two are already working on a project together directed and written by Polley. As for guys… Louis Garrel… or Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Levitt would make a super interesting vampire stalker, he’s got a dark intensity to him.

    — off topic, whatever happened to Kar Wai’s Lady in Shanghai project with Nicole Kidman? I know Kidman is a really not popular figure right now, but I really like it when she does all these smaller productions like Dogville.

  3. Sara Polley would be great in a Shunji Iwai film!…I agree on that, not so much on Michelle Williams. Also, I don’t mind Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the vampire stalker, but you know who would be better…..Tadanobu Asano! He’d be perfect and he speaks some english. Plus it would team Asano with Yu which would make this project even better!

  4. Awesome! Iwai Shunji and Aoi Yu? Game over. So far the story sounds pretty interesting. At first I thought, “Yu as a vampire?!”, but it looks like she’s gonna play a supporting role. No problem at all, I know Yu will put on an excellent performance. Maybe I should take a vacay down to Vancouver this May =P.

  5. Acerk, woahhh Tadanobu will be on Thor with Natalie Portman? LOL

    Isami, Yu could totally pull a vampire xD and there’s so many creepy parts of town in Vancouver, I have a feeling where they might be shooting LOL

  6. Yu could definitely pull off a vampire, just look at her work in “Welcome to the Quiet Room”!

  7. Yeah, I was thinking of that. xD
    OMG OMG, need to write the last If Only. LOL
    It’s totally spoiled now xD

  8. um, on the one hand an Iwai/Yu Aoi reunion is like a dream come true but, yes, there’s a but or two: English-speaking movie? blah Vampire? blah again, Twilight syndrome? hope it won’t be something to surf on the current teen craze about vampires, though it can’t be worse than the Hollyblood production.

  9. LOL, Nill!

    I love Vampires… I don’t like Twilight (someone suggested I read the book, so I picked a copy up and couldn’t pass page 50 LOL), and well… English-speaking movie has a lot of broad appeal. xD

    What got me was when I read this:
    “The film is a modern, erotic, romantic take on the vampire genre. Victims, typically suicidal young women, are required to fall in love with the vampire before he can take his full pleasure.”

    Erotic and Yu in the same film?
    That I won’t believe… I’m still shocked at the post-sex scene in Hyakuman-en. LOL

    But doing a quick IMDb search, it appears no good vampire flicks have come out since 2000 from Hollywood. So guess you’re right. LOL I did love Let the Right One In though… one of my favorite films.

  10. Let The Right One In is my one of my favorite vampire flicks, next to Interview With The Vampire! Yu has the acting talent to play in a pseudo erotic film. She can probably deliver the same impact just as good as the next actress. Yet it’s kind of hard to see Yu playing that kind of role also. I’m all for artistic development, but I find more beauty in subtlety, rather than full on decadence. Btw Amy where do you think they’ll most likely shoot it?

  11. Interview with the Vampire was quite good, Dunst was totally scary in that role. Too bad her career went down the drain after the Spiderman films lol. Last I saw her, she did a cover of Turning Japanese with a video with McGee in Akihabara in full Cosplay. O.o

    Well, erotic films aren’t supposed to show anything… it’s more about the feeling of intimacy. Erotic films that show too much I just call Porn with a Plot. LOL It’d be an interesting take if it’s erotic without showing anything… safe and risky for Yu.

    Locations in Van depends on what Iwai’s intentions aesthetically are. If he wants gritty and texture landscapes, he is likely to shoot in the intersection of East and West Hasting. That’s where I used to study… and they shot Blade Trinity in the stations around the place… as well as Catwoman. Those alleys are famous! LOL Plus, East Hastings at night is totally creepy. Probably the reason why they shoot many scenes there.

    Stanley Park is huge, and can be a nice scenery for more Iwai’s style with lights. And it’s scary at night. Architecture around the city can be more gritty, and less modern buildings. Though the UBC campus is also a good spot for broad scenery…

    That’s only if he is planning to do a city setting for his vampire tale. He might go to the suburbs… and that’s a whole new story. xD

  12. Do you think Shunji wrote the script for this new vampire flick? He’s been the writer for all his previous films, so I hope he stays with that trend. Also, who do you think will do the music? Will it be Shunji himself like in Hana & Alice or Takeshi Kobayashi? And who knows who will be in charge of the cinematography since Noboru Shinoda passed away…..Christopher Doyle anyone?

    Amy, any plans to re-visit Vancouver in May and possibly meet Yu?

  13. Well, it’s supposed to be the triple threat… writing, producing and directing, isn’t it? At least that’s what I thought from the announcement…

    I hope Iwai does the music, as I love the H&A OST now. The Wo Ai Ni piece is a classic. It would be awesome if Doyle is in for the cinematography, though I heard he’s a really piece of work, while Shinoda seemed really like a nice ojiisan xD

    I have no idea who worked on Shunji’s piece for New York I Love You, but Shinichi Tsunoda (who also did Rainbow Song) did the cinematography for Halfway which Iwai wrote (and Salyu sang the ending song).

    I would love to visit vancouver, but since I need to get a visa, I doubt they will give me one to stalk Yu… when they didn’t even let me in Canada for my friend’s wedding. *sighs* sucks, right? LOL Plus, I will get all shy and possibly forget any type of communication form if I see her. x’D

    Yu seems to be working her way towards my way xD first visiting Venezuela, now Vancouver. I’m sure she’ll do a Photobook in Machu Picchu. =^o^= with Yoko Takahashi by her side. LOL

  14. Parece una buena noticia pero no me convence porque no está en japonés, los directores asiáticos no funcionan para hollywood a menos que seas Ang Lee (pero hasta el tuvo sus patinadas y además es más occidental), a John Woo lo trataron como perro, WKW hizo la pela con Jude y Norah que es apto solamente para verdaderos fanaticos, Hideo Nakata realiza remake, los hermanos Pang (están perdidos). Ahora me sale con el tema de vampiros pero todos en hollywood están con el éxito de crepúsculo y por todos lados se están haciendo películas y series con este tema. Mi temor puede ser a que no se valore el trabajo de Shunji y sobretodo que no tenga la libertad suficiente para crear su película, y de aoi que tenga un papel secundario.

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