Novel The 47th Samurai To Be Adapted As Action Thriller

Another day, another book adaptation. Well, I suppose it’s better than another remake. This time, Stephen Hunter’s novel “The 47th Samurai” has been optioned by New Regency, with plans to turn it into a feature film. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news today, saying that Robert Kamen (“Taken”) has been hired to write the screenplay. The book was originally published in 2008, and is part of a series featuring main character Bob Lee Swagger, who was previously featured in a movie called “Shooter” (starring Mark Wahlberg in the role).

The book will be retitled “The Sword” in its cinematic iteration, and the plot is described like this: “One afternoon Bob Lee Swagger gets a surprising visitor: a retired Japanese Colonel named Philip Yano has researched the battles on Iwo Jima and believes Swagger’s father killed his on Mount Suribachi. He is also searching for the miitary sword his father used in the battle. Swagger manages to track it down and personally delivers it to Yano in Tokyo. When they examine it, it turns out to be not an old standard issue military weapon, but an ancient samurai sword, a national treasure. A few days later, the Yano family is murdered, their house burned to the ground, and the sword stolen. Compelled to solve the crime and recover the blade, Swagger enters not only Tokyo’s criminal underbelly, but also the violent, obsessive world of the Samurai.”

No other production details were announced. It’s unknown if “Shooter” director Antoine Fuqua or Wahlberg will return for this one.