Takashi Miike is on a roll right now, attaching himself to some of the hottest names in pop culture. Not only is the iconic and shocking Japanese filmmaker working with pop mega-star Charli XCX, but he’s also signed on for Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo with Neon, and he’s also assembling a wild cast for this one, possibly one of his most random yet.
Miike will direct Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Lily James (Pam & Tommy) in this new film, but one of the most unexpected castings is WWE superstar Liv Morgan. The outlandish professional wrestler has ventured into Hollywood before, appearing in a fan-favorite cameo in Chucky.
Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo will follow the Bad Lieutenant (Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled case after an enigmatic FBI agent (James) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the disappearance of a politician’s daughter (Morgan). Meanwhile, a deviant killer operating in the yakuza underworld seems to be shadowing their moves.
“A team of incredibly talented actors and crew has gathered in Tokyo. Now. I’m about to throw a fastball straight down the middle of your strike zone – no tricks, no gimmicks. I’m confident we are about to break through every limit, to create unforgettable entertainment. Get ready for the ride with us,” expressed Miike.
“We’re all delighted to reinterpret this iconic IP with a master filmmaker like Takashi Miike,” said producer Jeremy Thomas of Recorded Picture Company. “We’ve produced 10 films in Japan, most recently Grand Maison Paris, which has grossed over $28M domestically, and it’s a fertile place to create and distribute films. I feel the time is right for this irreverent hybrid.”
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The film will be a U.S.-Japan co-production, produced by Jeremy Thomas for Recorded Picture Company, Sam Pressman for Pressman Film, Naoaki Kitajima for Nippon TV, and Misako Saka for OLM.
For those who don’t know, Miike has directed over 100 films since 1991. He’s best known for films like Audition, Ichi the Killer, Gozu, and 13 Assassins, but his catalog also includes shock art masterpieces, anime adaptations, and much more.
“Director Miike brings a fearless new vision to the Bad Lieutenant, a character defined by the auteur. Just as maestros Ferrara and Herzog delivered films as radically different as their own voices, Miike’s adaptation is unrelentingly wild and unique,” said Sam Pressman, CEO of Pressman Film, “My father Edward R. Pressman, always believed this story of corruption, both of police and the human soul, has a global resonance. To realize this next evolution now in Tokyo with Director Miike, NEON and my father’s lifelong friend Jeremy Thomas — all true believers in the power of independent cinema — is both an honor and a dream come true.”
Production on Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo begins in May.
