John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski hinted the upcoming movie adaptation of video game developer Naughty Dog's Ghost of Tsushima may feature some form of "Kurosawa Mode."
Stahelski discussed how his time with the John Wick films may influence the production of Ghost of Tsushima during an interview with IGN, with the acclaimed director of the neo-noir action film franchise revealing how he wanted to use the latest technological advancements in the industry to elevate the adaptation. "With every John Wick, we try to build the world a little bit bigger with the characters and set pieces and lighting," Stahelski said. "Just what we've learned over the past couple years with DI, digital intermediate -- the coloring at the end [of production] and what you can do with new technology and with new Alexa cameras, that's kind of allowed us, hopefully, to take cinematography to the level that Ghost deserves."
He continued, "You can see the purples and pinks, and we can push the color and highlights about as far as you can push in Chapter 4. So it was a big technological achievement to get the colors that we did in this and to get them to really stick, especially in the theaters you're seeing them in." When Stahelski was asked if he planned on using this technology to add a Kurosawa Mode to the Ghost of Tsushima adaptation, the director claimed it was "definitely a conversation."
Ghost of Tsushima's Kurosawa Mode
Kurosawa Mode is a special mode included with the original Ghost of Tsushima video game, which drew inspiration from the classic samurai films of legendary movie director Akira Kurosawa. While the feature did not directly affect gameplay mechanics, it allowed players to experience Ghost of Tsushima with retro black-and-white graphics. Kurosawa Mode additionally included a film grain filter and purposefully distorted audio that -- when combined with the game's Japanese dialogue -- evoked the style of Kurosawa's earlier films.
Ghost of Tsushima follows the story of Jin Sakai, a samurai from the titular Japanese island of Tsushima who must defend his home from Mongol invaders. Though not much has been revealed regarding how closely the film adaptation will follow the source material, Stahelski previously claimed he wanted "to do it all in character," with an all-Japanese cast and Japanese dialogue.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is in theaters now. The Ghost of Tsushima film adaptation has yet to receive an official release date.
Source: IGN