LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Tommy Lee Jones will play General Douglas MacArthur in “Emperor,” a thriller/epic directed by Peter Webber (“Girl With a Pearl Earring”).
Production on the Fellers Film and Krasnoff/ Foster Entertainment movie, which also stars Matthew Fox, is due to start later this month in New Zealand and Japan.
“Tommy will bring strength, intelligence, and gravitas to the portrayal of, a legendary American hero,” producer Gary Foster (“Ghost Rider,” “Daredevil”) said in a statement.
“Emperor” is set in the days following Japan’s surrender in World War II, when MacArthur effectively presided over the country as the supreme commander of the Allied forces. The film follows General Bonner Fellers (Fox), an expert on Japan, as he deliberates whether deposed Emperor Hirohito should be tried or face the death penalty. Concurrently, a romance ensues between Fellers and a Japanese exchange student.
Along with Foster, “Emperor” is produced by Yoko Narahashi (“The Last Samurai”), Eugene Nomura (“Tajomaru”) and Russ Krasnoff (“The Soloist”).
A theatrical release date has not yet been set for the film.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/
And here’s a short line about Bonner Fellers’ role in the war crimes trials, from Wikipedia:
Fellers played a major role in the occupation of Japan. He met with the major defendants of the Tokyo tribunal. According to historians Herbert Bix and John W. Dower, Fellers—under an assignment by the code name OPERATION BLACKLIST—allowed them to coordinate their stories to exonerate Emperor Hirohito and all members of his family. This was at the direction of MacArthur, now head of SCAP, who wanted no criminal prosecution of the Emperor and his family.
Perhaps Hollywood will alter history, and blame the Japanese girlfriend for Fellers’ controversial actions?
