New Regency Picks Up 'The Sword,' Robert Kamen to Write (Exclusive)

1:51 PM PDT 6/6/2012 by Borys Kit

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The project is an adaptation of Stephen Hunter's novel, "The 47th Samurai."

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Robert Kamen

New Regency is turning Japanese, picking up modern samurai tale The Sword and tapping Luc Besson’s frequent co-writer Robert Kamen to pen the script.

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Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing the project, which adapts a Stephen Hunter novel titled The 47th Samurai.

The 2008 book is part of author’s line of popular thrillers revolving around ex-marine Bob Lee Swagger. The Swagger novel Point of Impact was adapted into the 2007 Mark Wahlberg action movie Shooter.

Sword's story sees Swagger tasked to find a sword his father won during the Battle of Iwo Jima. When he delivers it to its owner in Tokyo, it’s discovered the sword is actually a priceless and historic katana, with shadowy forces willing to kill to retrieve it. Swagger is thrown into a byzantine Japanese culture and the yakuza underworld and, in the words of the book, needs to learn that “in order to survive samurai, you must become samurai.”

Paradigm-repped Kamen is a name in the action movie world, having co-written The Fifth Element, The Transporter movies starring Jason Statham, and the Liam Neeson action movie Taken and its upcoming sequel with Besson, among others. The veteran writer is also known for penning the 1980s Karate Kid trilogy.