Takashi Miike's 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo' First Look Revealed
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- Takashi Miike is directing 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,' a Japanese neo-noir continuing the unofficial 'Bad Lieutenant' franchise lineage, with IndieWire exclusively revealing the first look images
- Lily James, Shun Oguri, and WWE wrestler Liv Morgan star in the film, which follows a disgraced Tokyo detective entangled in a case involving a vengeful ex-yakuza, an FBI agent, and a missing American daughter
- Daisuke Tengan, Miike's frequent collaborator, wrote the screenplay, and Miike himself described the project as 'a fastball straight down the middle of your strike zone — no tricks, no gimmicks'
- Abel Ferrara's 1992 original starred Harvey Keitel as a corrupt NYPD cop, and Werner Herzog's 2009 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' starred Nicolas Cage — though Ferrara famously disavowed Herzog's film, saying he hoped the director and Cage would 'die in Hell'
- Neon will handle the domestic theatrical release at an unspecified later date and is also managing international sales for the film
- The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical rollout
Why it matters: Takashi Miike — one of the most prolific genre filmmakers working — putting his stamp on a franchise that two prior auteur directors have already made their own gives 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo' a built-in cinephile audience and a TIFF launchpad. Neon's involvement signals confidence in the package, and the casting of Lily James, Shun Oguri, and WWE's Liv Morgan points to a deliberate cross-market appeal bridging Japanese, American, and wrestling fanbases.
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