'Shogun' makers to back Japanese retelling of Christopher Nolan's Oscar-nominated 'Oppenheimer'? - Exclusive

'Shogun', the upcoming new historical epic is set to take the audience back in time to 17th-century feudal Japan. Based on James Clavell's epic novel by the same name, this screen adaptation aims to demystify Japan, its culture, politics and history, with a fresh perspective viewed from a Japanese lens. With a stellar cast boasting of talents like Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Cosmo Jarvis, the Disney+ Hotstar series is already one of the highly anticipated ones, with a perfect 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Japanese show that begins streaming on February 27, arrives in time for the Oscar season, where the front-runner tipped to win big is Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'. The film, which has garnered an impressive 13 Oscar nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Director, has faced criticism for its omission of the impact of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Some critics have gone as far as labelling it a 'glorification' of the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer's work.

Spike Lee, the Oscar-winning director, made waves with his commentary on Nolan's film, praising it as a 'great film' while expressing a desire for a more comprehensive portrayal of the Japanese experience. Lee's remarks sparked a conversation about the importance of representing diverse perspectives in cinema.

In light of these discussions, ETimes posed a question to Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, whether they, as producers and writers of 'Shogun', would endorse a project from a Japanese perspective in response to Nolan's Oscar-nominated work.

In response to the query, Rachel Kondo expressed enthusiasm, stating, "Oh, yes!"

This sentiment was echoed by Justin Marks, who emphasized the collaborative nature of 'Shogun' and its goal to amplify Japanese voices. Marks elaborated, "The goal with Shogun is, this is a work by Hollywood. It's a collaboration, East meets West collaboration with our Japanese producers."

Highlighting the importance of authenticity and representation, Marks shared his commitment to satiating the appetite for Japanese stories told by Japanese filmmakers on an international scale. He said, "Our greatest hope in doing this is to open the appetite on an international scale for stories, not just Japanese stories, but Japanese stories told by Japanese filmmakers. And I would extend that to say that we should take that all over the world. And fortunately, in the age of streaming that we live in, I think those opportunities are becoming more and more now. And it's a very exciting time to live in."

Marks concluded with a call to action, "So let's just hope we can all be part of that solution."

'Shogun' is a 10-part series, slated for its grand premiere on February 27th, with subsequent episodes released every week.