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‘Bullet Train Explosion’ Director Shinji Higuchi Talks Casting Singer-Actor Tsuyoshi Kusanagi & The Film’s Moral Questions
Netflix's 'Bullet Train Explosion', directed by veteran Japanese filmmaker Shinji Higuchi and starring singer-actor Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, is the latest tentpole title on the streamer's Japan slate.
The film is a reboot of the original 1975 movie The Bullet Train, which inspired the Hollywood blockbuster Speed — with the latter starring Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock. Casting Kusanagi in Bullet Train Explosion — a former member of SMAP, one of Japan’s most popular boybands from the late 1980s to the early 2000s — took nearly 20 years, partially due to issues with Higuchi’s former management agency. Looking ahead, Higuchi wants to focus on making films based on original screenplays, but acknowledges that it is not easy to get such projects funded, compared to adaptations of IP that audiences are already familiar with.
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