I finally got to watch Hanna recently and can safely say it lived up to the high expectations I had when I made my Most Anticipated Movies of 2011 list. My enjoyment was all the purer by virtue of how my only tease of the flick came from a cool poster and from watching one trailer, once, in the theater. Not from watching three trailers, a ten minute EPK and a dozen clips. Like I said, that’s the way you used to get hyped for a movie.
All of that sets some context for me saying that I appreciate J.J. Abrams' almost-trademark secrecy about his projects. I’m still not quite sure what Super-8’s going to be about, and I’m all the more more intrigued for the mystery. Outside of maybe Chris Nolan, few big budget directors have been as interested in doing that (or are maybe even allowed to) since a Signs-era Shyamalan.
So when Deadline announces that Monica Breen and Alison Schapker, two of the Fringe producers, are now rewriting his new project Zanbato, there’s nothing much to go on except the names and some loose plot details about robots and samurai. And I suppose some good faith. A zanbato’s a “horse killing” Japanese sword; so named because it was supposedly big enough to kill an enemy and his steed at once. And maybe a robot, too.
Color me intrigued...
