Keanu Reeves thrilled fans at Annecy, sending a video message to confirm his participation in samurai stop-motion project “Hidari.”

“I think that the stop-motion and what they’ve done, their hope and ambition is very cinematic. It can be both big scale and very intimate, and with the script they have developed, I think it’s extraordinary. I want to see that movie and I want to be in that movie,” he said.

“I’m very excited to move forward and have the opportunity to play the role, to be a part of it. It will be something very special to bring to the world.”

Its director, Masashi Kawamura, added: “Imagine ‘John Wick’ set in feudal Japan and performed by wooden puppets on steroids.”

The story is inspired by the works of Japanese artist and legendary carpenter Hidari Jingoro, who allegedly lived in the 17th century.

“Nobody knows if he really existed or not. He’s surrounded by a lot of mystery, which I felt was a very interesting character to use as the center of my story. People even said that he could breathe life into wood.” 

He added: “When I heard that, I thought: That’s exactly what we do in stop-motion. We move inanimate objects and try to create life.”

Kawamura decided to use wooden sculptures: “Exactly like the ones [Hidari Jingoro] actually crafted himself. The material and the technique become part of the story itself.”

Kawamura spoke during Annecy panel “Finding a Shared Vision: Co-Production with Japan,” which also spotlighted “A New Dawn” by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya and “On the Killing Road” by Tomofumi Inoue.

Every single frame is made by hand, he stressed.

“That’s the kind of film we want to create. ‘Hidari’ is a samurai action film that blends the explosive energy of anime with the handcrafted aesthetic of stop-motion.”

In his story of revenge, a young master carpenter is working on the reconstruction of the Edo Castle. But then he gets involved in a ruthless conspiracy and loses his mentor, fiancée and also his right arm. 

“He survives and reinvents himself – and transforms all his carpentry skills and tools into weapons.” 

He carves himself a lethal prosthetic arm and confronts an army of mechanical soldiers and, eventually, a robot who starts to destroy the city of Edo.

“We’re going to do this all in stop-motion, guys. It’s going to be crazy,” said Kawamura, noting they will weave together “actual history with fantasy elements to craft an entertaining story for all ages.” 

“Under all that spectacle, it’s really about this one man trying to rediscover himself after turning to destruction.”

Treating the audience to an impressive teaser, which has already reached 5 million views on YouTube, he underlined the team wanted to focus “on the material itself.” 

“Every grain, every hand-carved chisel marks on the wood. We really want to emphasize that in our film. We kind of coined ‘Wood Punk’ as the world we want to create.” 

“The question we often get is: ‘Why are you doing this in stop-motion?’ Because we fucking love it! It’s a fabulous technique, but unfortunately it’s considered to be something maybe more nostalgic for a smaller audience. We, as a team, really wanted to shatter that perception and create something very different.”

“In a world where you could almost generate a film in three seconds using AI – if you don’t give a shit about quality – we’re doing something opposite. It’s a whole film about craftsmanship.”

After a brief flirt with Hollywood – “We have received an offer, but then the landscape at the studio shifted dramatically and suddenly the project could no longer move forward,” said producer Noriko Matsumoto (Nori Inc.) – they are now partnering up with Questry. 

Having Reeves on board is a “dream come true,” she noted. 

“Our character was actually designed as a hybrid between Keanu Reeves and Toshiro Mifune. He embodies the exact character we are looking for.”