By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The cult director’s latest has a hell of a cast and a lot of buzz.
RLJE Films has announced its acquisition of U.S. rights to PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, which has its world premiere this Sunday, January 31 at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Sion Sono (SUICIDE CLUB, COLD FISH, TOKYO VAMPIRE HOTEL) from a screenplay by Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai, it stars Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella (THE MUMMY), Nick Cassavetes, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi and Yuzuka Nakaya. The synopsis: “PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND is set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber [Cage] is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor [Moseley], whose adopted granddaughter Bernice [Boutella] has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within three days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption.”
“We’re excited to once again work with Nicolas Cage on a highly anticipated film directed by the celebrated Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono,” says RLJE’s Mark Ward. “Following the success of MANDY and COLOR OUT OF SPACE, PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND is already receiving great buzz and we cannot wait for audiences to see it at Sundance.”
