At this time it’s not really hard to wonder if the 47 Ronin sequel is coming, it’s whether or not it’s really going to live up to the movie that was already seen in 2013. Some folks would no doubt turn away without thinking about it, while others might say that it’s one of the few Keanu Reeves movies that didn’t end up becoming legendary for one reason or another. The truth is that 47 Ronin was a decent movie and it did have all the elements needed to have a great showing, save for the fact that its release date was kind of awkward and Reeves hadn’t become a huge star once again thanks to John Wick. He’s always been an actor that people are interested in since his roles on the big screen tend to be those that a lot of people can’t help but like. But it does sound as though the sequel to 47 Ronin will be taking on female leads rather than the male-led cast that pushed the first movie along. The fact that the sequel appears to be set a few centuries into the future and could carry a very heavy cyberpunk feel could have something to do with this.
But it’s also important to note that the two women helming the script for this movie, Aimee Garcia and AJ Mendez, yes, THAT AJ Mendez formerly of WWE, have already stated that they’ll be adding more inclusive elements into the sequel. They’re also very open about having female leads that will push the movie forward, and while this is meant to be a big up when thinking about diversity and empowerment, one needs only to look at what has happened to other movies that have gone from male leads to female leads to find out how well that usually goes over. If the sequel becomes its own movie and only uses the first movie for a reference point it could very easily work and be something that would garner a great deal of support. But simply going for the idea of diversity for the sake of it, and casting women ‘just because’ is an idea that doesn’t have a high success rate.
Can women take on a movie like this? Of course they can, that’s not the issue. But catering to the fans is usually a good idea since it indicates that while someone has something to say with their work, they’re also willing to compromise a bit in order to get their message across and provide something that the fans will want to see. Female-led movies have been able to create a great turnout since the idea of tough and capable women taking control is something that a lot of people tend to like and want to see more of, but doing so at the expense of the story isn’t that great of an idea, and if this sequel ends up being more popular than the original it will be something of a surprise, and will likely owe such fame to other factors that will cause a great deal of debate. But placing the story three hundred years into the future does kind of demand that changes would take place in a very big way.
At the moment there isn’t much known about the story or what direction it will be taking, but the mere mention of a sequel to this movie was a bit confusing since most of the main characters were dead by the time the credits rolled, and it’s easy to think that the only that would have been able to carry on the legacy would have been the son of one of the samurai who was spared. That legacy could become quite the story if spread out over time, especially if it eventually culminated in something that would become a tale that might hearken back to the old days in a way. But the inclusion of a cyberpunk influence to the story is intriguing since it would indicate that a lot of things are going to change and that the story might be similar to the original in a passing manner, but will otherwise be its own tale and create its own legacy atop the foundation laid by the first movie.
That might actually be the best way to go and something to hope that Garcia and Mendez might be thinking about. It’s always a big hope that writers don’t get too hung up on gender, race, or anything else that divides the characters in a story unless the plot demands it to be so in order to move forward. If such a thing happens with the sequel it feels safe to say that it might not go very far, but if the story flows without vilifying anyone due to race or gender, then it might have a pretty good chance of being embraced by the fans.
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