Pre-production begins on ‘The Last Ninja’

Ninjas are the new zombies. Has anyone made a ninja vs. zombie movie yet? If not, give it some time. The latest ninja movie now in the works is THE LAST NINJA from Masterpiece Productions and director Jose Zambrano Cassella. A press release was recently issued along with a synopsis, pre-production teaser trailer and poster art.

With the discipline of a warrior, the stealth of a viper and the blade of the devil, THE LAST NINJA is a powerful, action-packed story spanning generations. Ken Harumi is the last descendent of the samurai, trained from boyhood in the ancient art of ninjutsu to become one of the most dangerous assassins in Japan. Faced with a choice between good and evil, his actions propel him into a high stakes game with an underground society of mercenaries. From a high-octane, crotch-rocket race to an edge-of-your seat battle on a runaway train, an explosion of fists and blades cuts its way to the heart of the conspiracy only to reveal the final three challengers; the deadliest assassins ever assembled. In a fight for supremacy and life itself, the combat rises for the ultimate battle that reveals the mastermind behind it all and exposes the secrets of a hidden past.

A look at Cassella’s past work reveals cinematography and directorial credit on a number of low-budget horror films, nothing I’m familiar with but that’s not saying much given my limited interest in the horror genre. What it suggests though is that THE LAST NINJA may end up being more violent or bloody than your typical martial arts movie, or other ninja films coming out. Rumor has it that the Wachowskis’ NINJA ASSASSIN is supposed to be fairly violent for a mainstream film while I doubt Isaac Florentine will be delivering too much blod and guts in NINJA. That’s not his style.

THE LAST NINJA is scripted by Joe Navarro and produced by Melissa Gruver and Randy Molnar. Release is planned for 2010.