KEN WATANABE JOINS BATMAN: INTIMIDATION

[MattBrady]

Business Wire

Oscar-nominated actor Ken Watanabe has joined the cast of director Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film about the origins of the Batman legend. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Watanabe, who is nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in "The Last Samurai," will play the villainous Ra's Al Ghul, alongside stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman; Michael Caine as his trusted butler Alfred; Katie Holmes as a childhood friend of Wayne's; Liam Neeson as Wayne's mentor, Henri Ducard; and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, a former board member and sidelined employee of Wayne Enterprises.

Directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay by David Goyer, the film is produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Larry Franco. The executive producers are Ben Melniker and Michael Uslan.

The project is scheduled to start production in London in March.

The film, which explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham, will be released worldwide in 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

[Jeremy Williams]

I don`t like changing the character`s race but Wanatabe is such an imposing force while not being really into overacting like most of the guys usualy doing the villains. You will believe this guy would beat Batman`s ass, rule a criminal empire and command respect.

I also like the fact that it ties to pulp oriental villains like Fu Manchu(the first lead character in Detective Comics!).

[krimsun]

Nolan, Watanabe, Bale, Caine, Freeman, Neeson....

Could this represent a superhero Oscar nomination or two?

I want a front row ticket for this film, and I want it now!

[StoneGold]

It carries on a tradition of Asian actors in Academy nominated pictures playing Yellow Peril Fu Manchu knockoffs in superhero movies. John Lone?

Seriously though, I do have a minor qualm about this. And it has nothing to do with the actor's race making him incapable to playing the role, so much as playing into pre-existing stereotypes. I thought that in DareDevil, they did well keeping MCD from being some sort of hiphop thug, like many detractors said he was going to be. However, Ra's Al Ghul is basically a Yellow Peril villain, minus the Yellow part. Sticking Watanabe in there basically turns Ra's into Fu Manchu, with a bizarre ecological bent, in which case you are likely to get some Asian American organization decrying the movie for perpetuating the Yellow Peril stereotype.

That said, Watanabe will probably do a kickass job with the role.

[pmginn]

The actor's ability to play the character is the most important thing...

but at least Watanabe's nationality is closer to R'as Al Ghul's than Billy Dee Williams' was to Harvey Dent's.

[Gordon McAlpin]

Originally posted by pmginn
The actor's ability to play the character is the most important thing...

but at least Watanabe's nationality is closer to R'as Al Ghul's than Billy Dee Williams' was to Harvey Dent's.

I second that. At least it's not some white guy.

[cactusmaac]

Originally posted by StoneGold
It carries on a tradition of Asian actors in Academy nominated pictures playing Yellow Peril Fu Manchu knockoffs in superhero movies. John Lone?

Seriously though, I do have a minor qualm about this. And it has nothing to do with the actor's race making him incapable to playing the role, so much as playing into pre-existing stereotypes. I thought that in DareDevil, they did well keeping MCD from being some sort of hiphop thug, like many detractors said he was going to be. However, Ra's Al Ghul is basically a Yellow Peril villain, minus the Yellow part. Sticking Watanabe in there basically turns Ra's into Fu Manchu, with a bizarre ecological bent, in which case you are likely to get some Asian American organization decrying the movie for perpetuating the Yellow Peril stereotype.

That said, Watanabe will probably do a kickass job with the role.

I think the concerns of how having a charismatic Arabian terrorist as the lead villain would play probably outweighed the concerns of a yellow peril villain especially given how the latter isn't particular prevalent in today's pop culture.

[StoneGold]

It's possible. My biggest concern is that he basically stops being Ra's, and starts being Fu Manchu. I guess there are ways to fix that, keeping Ken's Ra's out of East Asian trappings, clothing him more in middle eastern/western clothes, like comic Ra's usually does. And make sure that in the final fight, where Batman and Ra's swordfight topless (because they always do) don't make it a katana. Just because the actor is Japanese, and so presumably is Ra's, doesn't mean he had to stay in the country very long.

[Scavenger]

Originally posted by Flickhead
I second that. At least it's not some white guy.

Hey, David Warner is white, and he'd be awesome in the part.
Watanabe is a fine choice too, though.

[Ronin]

"but at least Watanabe's nationality is closer to R'as Al Ghul's than Billy Dee Williams' was to Harvey Dent's"

What, aren't they both Americans?

It's a movie, y'see...

[The Passenger]

Rả’s ảl Ghul was always supposed to be of indeterminate race. He had much Caucasian features, but with mildly Asianic enhancements and sometimes a Semetic complexion. His daughter also looked like an exotic Caucasian, but she could be part-Asian, Latin, or Mediteranean. If you take an Asian, give him brown hair and proshthetic enhancements, you could really jack with people's conception of what Rả’s is. I don't think the Yellow Peril bit washes, because most of the time actors playing such a role weren't even Asian. The problem was gross racial stereotyping, which came through in a pair of green-skinned aliens in "The Phantom Menace." So long as the part is taken seriously, as opposed to having Watanabe spouting Confucism through an overbite, he shouldn't offend anyone who isn't actively seeking offense.

[Danny Donovan]

Um, did I miss something? I thought LIAM was going to be Ra's and Ken was going to be his muscle. (I totally forget what his name is, the guy that is the grand hoo-ha in the league of assasins)

(feh on internet "reports" on movie websites)


Well this is much better. Ken has more of an imposing stage presence. Liam could play a good bad guy, but I like Ken as Ra's, he was an honorable "foe" in last samurai, and Ra's is something of a Magneto like villian, whereas he's not totally evil, he just has a good point, with a twisted way of getting it across.

As for people having a problem with the evil asian sterotype, if people didn't have something to complain about they wouldn't know what to do with themselves.

In Phantom Menace (despite the MANY things you could complain about) japanese groups said that Amidalla's make-up was offensive because it looked like Kabuki make-up,

Fanboys get their undies in a twist HOURLY (check these boards for refrences)

And well there's a lot more people railing on for or against something.. I wouldn't worry about it.

I SO can't wait for this!

-DD

[jclem3]

I like this casting move. I loved Ken Watanabe's performance in The Last Samurai and I can see him giving depth and an imposing presence to Ra's Al Ghul.

This is a powerful cast so far. I hope the story doesn't disappoint.

[gwangung]

Originally posted by Ronin
"but at least Watanabe's nationality is closer to R'as Al Ghul's than Billy Dee Williams' was to Harvey Dent's"

What, aren't they both Americans?

Yeah, when did African Americans stop being American?

[zombiekid]

this is shaping up to be a great film. i'm sure they'll manage to do something though, like cast pauly shore as the commish or something.

[Chris1]

I don't get that remark about Ken Watanabe being closer to the part than Billy Dee Williams was to Harvey Dent. In the case of Two-Face, his nationality was irrelevant. Obviously, I would prefer to see a film stick to the comic and go with someone white (although I thought Duncan was a great Kingpin in Daredevil) but whether or not Two-Face is black or not doesn't really affect the story. In the case of Ra's Al Ghul though, doesn't the character pretty much have to be an Arab? I suppose I can understand the reasoning behind getting rid of Arab terrorists in movies like "Collateral Damage" and "Sum of All Fears" and replacing them with Columbians or Nazis but I'm not quite sure how replacing an Arab with an Asian works in this context.

[Frankie Thirteen]

Originally posted by Danny Donovan
Um, did I miss something? I thought LIAM was going to be Ra's and Ken was going to be his muscle.

Variety originally reported Liam as Ra's, but later admitted they made a mistake.

[zombiekid]

just had a thought, isn't Sin Tzu from the 'Rise of Sin Tzu' game basically a japanese Ras Al Ghul? I haven't actually played the game but that was the impression i got from all the adverts. Just call him that and everyone'll be happy. He was designed by Jim Lee afterall nad everyone seems to like Jim Lee. problem solved.

[bottleHeD]

I just hope they cast Talia. No way can they have Ra's without Talia.
Plus, any news about an "Ubu" ?