Toho has announced that a remake of the 1962 classic Sanjuro is in pre-production and will be slated for a release in 2007. According to Toho, the movie will be a joint venture between themselves, the Kadokawa Haruki Corporation and Avex, while Toho will be in charge of distributing the feature as well.

At present, not much is known of the project, except that Yuji Oda, of Bayside Shakedown (1998) fame, will be taking over Toshiro Mifune's iconic role as the title character and that Like Asura (2003) director Yoshimitsu Morita is set to helm to the movie.

Reportedly, rights to remake the original feature, and its world renowned predecessor Yojimbo (1961), were purchased by Kadokawa Haruki last year for a sum of ¥300,000,000 (roughly $3 million at the time of the agreement). Although numerous productions have been released since Akira Kurosawa's death from screenplays he had drafted, including 2000's After the Rain, this will mark the first time one of his movies has been remade in Japan.

Actual production on the remake begins later this year in September.