But will a Japanese-language Ghost of Tsushima movie be embraced by Western audiences? Chad Stahelski explained to Collider how he could pull it off but it’s all about choosing the right actors who don’t need words to get their point across.
“I thought about that a lot what you’re talking about. If you come into my offices in Manhattan Beach, I have an entire walls and hallways of frames from the best silent films of all time,” Stahelski said. “Fatty Arbuckle to Buster Keaton, to Charlie Chaplin, to the Keystone cops. Look, I believe in that. I believe that’s why Jackie Chan was successful is you didn’t have to speak Cantonese or Mandarin to get him. You saw it on his face.”
He continued, “There’s a way to direct actors. There’s a way to do it. Where a look can mean a look which can mean a look, which mean there are a lot of ways to do it.”
“So, part of the challenge, not to jump over your question, but look, I think there’s a way to do it,” Stahelski added. “And a way to direct the cast and a way to mellow dramatically enhance facial performance. So, if I turn the sound off, I want you to know what the scene is about, in whatever language.”
Naturally, the cast would have to be truly stellar. Still, it’s obvious that Hollywood is now more open to foreign films, as evidenced by the success of the South Korean film Parasite. Hopefully, it will all work out for Stahelski’s truly exciting new project.
Ghost of Tsushima has not yet been given an official release date. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.
