‘Kamen Rider’ Studio Toei To Produce “Historical Epic” ‘Yasuke – Way Of The Butterfly’, Director Says Live-Action Film Will “Strive For Cultural Authenticity”
Hot off their announcement that they would be turning their production attentions to other countries due to Japan’s ongoing birth crisis, famed Kamen Rider and Super Sentai production house Toei has signed on to produce Yasuke – Way of the Butterfly, a South African-created “historical epic” based on the tale of the real-world figure.
[Editor’s Note: To head off any potential confusion, the real-world images of Yasuke seen throughout this article do NOT come from Yasuke – Way of the Butterfly, but rather the tokusatsu-inspired live-action commercial produced by Ubisoft in promotion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.]
Per an exclusive report from Deadline‘s Liz Shackleton, the film itself will be co-produced by the South Africa-based Pambili Media as part of a joint-development deal signed with Toei, the agreement itself reportedly having been “spearheaded” by Toei VP Yuji Kojima.
Described by producers as “a sweeping international cinematic event rooted in untold history and cross-continental connection” and set to be written as well as directed by Pambili Media founder and noted South African director Mandla Dube, who readers may perhaps best recognize as having helmed the 2022 historical Netflix drama Silverton Siege, the upcoming film will follow the titular Yasuke on his Feudal-era adventures throughout Japan.
Offering a comment on the deal, the aforementioned Kojima asserted, “When Pambili Media first approached us with the idea of bringing Yasuke’s story to the screen, we were intrigued and inspired. This is not only an opportunity to reimagine an extraordinary historical journey, but also a mission that aligns with Toei’s long-standing tradition of producing bold, genre-defining stories. We are proud to lead this international collaboration.”
Likewise, Dube beamed, “To work with a company of the caliber of Toei is a dream come true. In the telling of the Yasuke story, we strive for cultural authenticity while telling an entertaining story with global reach. I am deeply honored by this collaboration and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”
RELATED: Toei Teams With Amazon To Produce Live-Action ‘Oshi No Ko’ TV Series And Film
As many may already be aware – particularly if they followed the recent Assassin’s Creed Shadows debacle – while Yasuke was an actual, confirmed-to-exist historical figure, there exists many questions around his alleged ‘samurai reputation’.
Admittedly, details surrounding his past are scarce, but what is known is that after originally making his way to Japan in the late 1500s while accompanying his Jesuit master Alessandro Valigano on his missionary work, the-yet-to-be-officially-named Yasuke eventually caught the attention of the famous Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga.
Finding himself both charmed by Yasuke’s personality and absolutely bewildered at the sight of a man with naturally black skin asked Valigano if the native African could be given over to his court in order to serve as a bit of a novelty.
Ostensibly seeking to curry favor from the warlord, Valigano promptly obliged, thus leaving Yasuke to both his new role and name, as both given to him by his new master.
From there, Yasuke was quickly put under Nobunaga’s employ as one of his retainer – a noble and respected position that enjoyed many privileges similar to samurai, but far, far different in actual regard and duty (imagine the difference between a ‘Doctor of literature’ and a ‘Doctor of medicine’, but with more swords) – before eventually being promoted to act as one of the warlord’s koshō, essentially the Japanese version of page boy.
To this end, while there are no records indicating that Yasuke was ever made an official samurai, there exists noted documentation of his fighting on behalf of Nobunaga in at least one battle.
Following the death of his master during the infamous rebellion by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide known as the Honno-ji Incident, Yasuke is reported to have rushed to protect Nobunaga’s heir, at which time he encountered and proceed to clash with a group of Mitsuhide’s supporters.
Eventually bested by his enemies and captured, Yasuke would end up surviving the rebellion thanks to the direct intervention of Mitsuhide himself, who when asked what to do with a black man by one of his vassals, ordered, “A black slave is an animal and knows nothing, nor is he Japanese, so do not kill him, and place him in the custody at the cathedral of Padre in India.”
As for what happened to Yasuke after the battle, well, that’s currently unknown, as outside of the known fact that he authored at least one letter to a friend in which he gave thanks to God for his survival of the Honno-ji Incident, the historical record makes no further mention of the African retainer.
At current, Yasuke – Way Of The Butterfly does not have a confirmed release date.
More About:TV Show News