Samara Morgan returns to Japanese cinemas this January in THE RING/REBIRTH. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.Source: Kadokawa Pictures Official Site: RingsMovie.com (US), thering-movie.jp (Japan)
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
Japanese theatrical poster. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved."Whoever sees the cursed video will surely die after seven days..." Nearly a year after Paramount Pictures` RINGS was released in North America, the movie comes to Japanese cinemas as THE RING/REBIRTH (??????????, Za Ringu/ Ribaasu). RINGS is the third feature-length entry in the American series based on the Japanese horror franchise that began with Koji Suzuki’s novel Ring (???, Ringu, 1991) and gained international acclaim with Hideo Nakata`s (DARK WATER, L: change the worLd) hit film adaptation THE RING (???, Ringu, 1998). Suzuki`s story of a cursed video tape and the movie`s depiction of the undead antagonist Sadako crawling out from a TV screen shocked the world and became defining symbols of J-horror. A number of theatrical and television sequels, prequels and remakes have been produced in Japan and abroad, including the American version which launched in 2002. Kadokawa -- publisher and producer/distributor of the Japanese Ring books and films -- will release THE RING/REBIRTH in January 2018 to celebrate the 20th of anniversary of the first Japanese movie. Directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez, RINGS brings the video concept into the digital age as Samara Morgan (the US version of Sadako) attempts to spread her curse in new and terrifying ways. The movie was released in America on February 3, 2017 to poor reviews and disappointing box office. CREDITS Japanese Release Date: Friday, January 26, 2018 (Roadshow) Original Title/English Title: RINGS Running Time: 102 Minutes Cast Julia: Matilda Lutz Holt Anthony: Alex Roe Gabriel Brown: Johnny Galecki Skye Johnston: Aimee Teegarden Samara Morgan: Bonnie Morgan Burke: Vincent D’Onofrio Shanda: Surley Alvelo Faith: Laura Wiggins Carter: Zach Roerig Chris: Adam Fristoe Libby: Andrea Laing Sam: Drew Grey Jamal: Patrick R. Walker Blue: Chuck David Willis Staff Director: F. Javier Gutiérrez Original Concept: Koji Suzuki / Movie THE RING Story: David Loucka, Jacob Aaron Estes Screenplay: David Loucka, Jacob Aaron Estes, Akiva Goldsman Producers: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald Executive Producers: Amy Sayres, Ehren Kruger, Mike Macari, Neal Edelstein, Christopher Bender, JC Spink, Roy Lee Cinematographer: Sharone Meir Costume Designer: Christopher Peterson Production Designer: Kevin Kavanaugh Editors: Steven Mirkovich, Jeremiah O’Driscoll Executive Music Producer: Hans Zimmer Music: Matthew Margeson Production: Parkes + MacDonald Imagenation Distributor: Kadokawa, Asmik Ace © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Julia (Matilda Lutz), Gabriel (Johnny Galecki) and Holt (Alex Roe) try to solve the mystery of the Ring before time runs out. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Japanese logo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.About Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.
Kadokawa Pictures is part of Kadokawa Shoten, which forms the axis of the expansive KADOKAWA CORPORATION. Kadokawa Shoten has maintained the company’s traditions since its founding, while continuously seeking to innovate at the same time. With their core operations based in publishing and film, represented by the Kadokawa Paperback, Kadokawa Pictures, and Kadokawa Anime labels, they continually release a wide range of content targeted to all age groups.
For more information on RINGS, please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan:
- THE RING Franchise Returns to America With RINGS
- RINGS Cast Interview Soundbites
- RINGS Now on Blu-ray and DVD