Press release reveals new casting for World War II drama.
Tommy Lee Jones (‘Lincoln,’ Men in Black 3’) has signed up to join Matthew Fox (‘World War Z,’ ‘I, Alex Cross’) in Peter Webber’s World War II drama ‘Emperor.’
Inspired by true events, ‘Emperor’ is an epic story of love and understanding set amidst the tensions and uncertainties of the days immediately following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. On the staff of General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces, a leading Japanese expert, General Bonner Fellers (Fox) is charged with reaching a decision of historical importance: should Emperor Hirohito be tried and hanged as a war criminal?
Interwoven with this nail-biting political thriller is the story of Fellers’ love affair with Aya, a Japanese exchange student he had met years previously in the U.S. Memories of Aya and his quest to find her in the ravaged post-war landscape help Fellers to discover both his wisdom and his humanity and enable him to come to the momentous decision that changed the course of history and the future of two nations.
David Klass (‘Walking Tall,’ ‘Desperate Measures,’ ‘Kiss the Girls’) and Vera Blasi (‘Woman on Top,’ ‘Tortilla Soup’) co-wrote the screenplay. Yoko Narahashi (‘The Last Samurai’), Gary Foster (‘Ghost Rider,’ ‘Daredevil,’ ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ ‘The Soloist’), Eugene Nomura (‘Tajomaru,’ ‘Surely Some Day’) and Russ Krasnoff (‘The Soloist’) will all produce.