Final Cut, the French remake of writer/director Shin’ichirō Ueda’s highly acclaimed Japanese zombie comedy One Cut of the Dead, made its world premiere as the opening night film at the Cannes Film Festival last May, then received a theatrical release in France in June. One year later, we finally know when Final Cut is going to be released in the U.S. Following screenings at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York next month, the film will be receiving a U.S. theatrical release (courtesy of Kino Lorber) on July 14th.
Known as Coupez! in its home country, this remake of One Cut of the Dead was written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, the Oscar-winning director of the Best Picture-winning silent film The Artist. (Hazanavicius also received a Best Screenplay nomination for that film.) Starring Romain Duris, Berenice Bejo, Gregory Gadebois, Finnegan Oldfield, Matilda Lutz, Sebastian Chassagne, Raphael Quenard, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Lyes Salem, Simone Hazanavicius, and Luana Bajrami, Final Cut is set against the backdrop of a B-movie shoot that is descending into disaster, Duris plays the director who seems to be the only one invested with the necessary energy to keep the low-budget zombie film afloat. As he tries to gee up jaded technicians and uninterested actors, shooting is disturbed by the arrival of authentic undead.
Hazanavicius has said that he is “absolutely delighted that Final Cut is being released in the U.S., and so proud to be working with Kino Lorber. I love American audiences – I’ve always found them very happy to laugh! So, enjoy the show, guys!“
Final Cut is produced by La Classe Americaine, Getaway Films, SK Global Entertainment, and BlueLight. France 2 Cinema is co-producing. The film is also supported by Canal+, France Televisions, SOFITVCINE 9, and Cine+. Wild Bunch International is handling distribution in France and the international distribution sales. Japanese companies Enbu Seminar, Hairu Entertainment, and Gaga serve as executive producers on the project, and Gaga is the distributor in Japan.
One Cut of the Dead was inspired by Ryoichi Wada’s play Ghost in the Box. Shot on a budget of just $25,000, Ueda’s film earned more than 30 million dollars at the global box office, and was featured on a memorable episode of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs.
JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch Final Cut last year, and gave it a 7/10 review you can read at THIS LINK. However, he cautions that if you haven’t seen One Cut of the Dead and want to remain spoiler free when it comes to Final Cut, you should only read the opening paragraph of his review.
Are you a One Cut of the Dead fan, and are you interested in Final Cut? Let us know by leaving a comment below.