South African director Ralph Ziman has taken over helming Kite, a live action remake of Yasuomi Umetsu's 1998 Japanese anime film that originally had the late David R. Ellis directing. Samuel L. Jackson is starring with India Eisley (The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, Maleficent) and Callan McAuliffe (Underground: The Julian Assange Story, The Great Gatsby) also now aboard. Ellis, whose credits included Snakes On A Plane and Shark Night 3D, died in January. Pre-production is underway in Johannesburg with principal photography to begin this month.
The original Kite was controversial for its graphic depictions of sex and violence involving an orphaned girl who's taken under the wing of a pair of corrupt detectives investigating her parents' murder. The new version is described as a character-driven action film that charts the story of Sawa (Eisley), a young woman living in a failed state after the financial collapse, where a corrupt security force profits on the trafficking of young women. When Sawa's policeman father is killed, she vows to track the murderer down with the help of his ex-partner, Karl Aker (Jackson).
Jackson said, 'The zest and enthusiasm David Ellis had for this project led to my commitment to do it. That same commitment to David leads me to fulfil my obligation to see his dedication fulfilled.' Ziman is best known for 2008's crime actioner Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema.
Anant Singh and Distant Horizon's Brian Cox will produce alongside co-producers Moises Cosio and Alberto Muffelmann of Detalle Films.
Jackson is repped by ICM Partners and Anonymous Content. Eisley is repped by ICM Parnters and Justice & Ponder. Ziman is repped by ICM Partners. McAuliffe is repped by CAA, Alchemy Entertainment and Oz's RGM Artist Group.
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