Very Cool First Look at ‘Bunraku’ Starring Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Ron Perlman

Now this seems like it could be really awesome. The first images from the upcoming fantasy-noir-crime-thriller-action-adventure Bunraku have made their way online, from writer/director Guy Moshe. This is only the second feature film for Moshe, after his previous indie-drama Holly in 2006. The film is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 9-19.  The cast for this film is really interesting, featuring: Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Kevin McKidd, GACKT and Ron Perlman. And after seeing these first images and reading the plot description, I’m starting to get very excited about Bunraku (how do you pronounce that?).

The official plot-synopsis for Bunraku goes something like this:

In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new. The film also stars Demi Moore.

Check out the pics below, with more on Bunraku to follow.

It feels like a cross between Sin City, Dick Tracy and Kill Bill; which is a pretty nasty combo of flicks. As The Movie Mash is headquartered in Minneapolis and considering our friendship with with Rob Perez (writer of 40 Days and 40 Nights), I’m so happy to see Josh Hartnett making a comeback as a leading man. Over the past couple years, he’s been dabbling in directing, producing and stage-acting in plays, distancing himself from the flashing light bulbs and red carpets. But it seems as though his limelight and red carpet hiatus will be over soon when Bunraku premieres at TIFF in September. Hopefully the reactions from the screenings create some positive buzz so the film can get a wide studio release.

[Sources: JoBlo, TIFF]

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