In 2020, "Ghost of Tsushima" was released as one of the last big games of the PlayStation 4 era. The spectacular heroic story of main character Jin Sakai turned out to be a huge success, selling over 9 million copies worldwide. The story's potential and the parallels to great samurai classics prompted Sony to commission a movie adaptation. In this article, you can find out more about what awaits you in the "Ghost of Tsushima" movie!

The Story of Ghost of Tsushima

The plot of the action adventure takes the player to the Japanese island of Tsushima, which is invaded by the Mongols in the year 1274. A group of samurais bravely oppose the invaders, but are devastatingly defeated. Only one survives the massacre: Jin Sakai - the main character. In order to defeat the Mongol army, Jin must leave behind the honorable path of the samurai and use unconventional methods to take his revenge as a guerrilla fighter. In the course of the game, the player not only learns the story of Jin's life, but is also constantly confronted with his remorse.

Sources of Inspiration

Not only gamers got their money's worth during the game, but also movie fans. After all, "Ghost of Tsushima" is one thing above all: a tribute to the samurai movies of the 50s and 60s. One of the most influential directors of this period was Akira Kurosawa, famous for works such as "Throne of Blood" and "Yojimbo". However, his most famous film is undoubtedly "Seven Samurai", which also had a huge influence on the game: Essentially, "Ghost of Tsushima" is a playable Kurosawa film. This is not only noticeable in stylistic decisions such as the contrast between nature and violence, but also in its own "Kurosawa mode". This mode presents the game in black and white with grainy visuals and a somewhat tinny audio, very much in the style of its inspiration.

But the game's creators were also inspired by other movies, such as "Harakiri" by Masaki Kobayashi, in which the conflict between deceit and honor plays an important role. In terms of dynamic action, meanwhile, the makers are likely to have taken inspiration from Takashi Miike's "13 Assassins", in which 13 samurai go into battle against a sadistic ruler and his army - including brutal and very bloody katana fights.

The Team

Chad Stahelski was appointed to direct the "Ghost of Tsushima" film, having already made a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to his "John Wick" movies. In part 4 at the latest, the director demonstrated his great affinity for Japanese martial arts. Stahelski is a big fan of the game and would like to outdo it in many respects. In an interview with Collider, he revealed that the style of the film will be very much in the tradition of the movies the game was inspired by. Not only will the film be released with subtitles and in Japanese, but all the actors involved will also be from Japan - the casting of the protagonist Jin should be of particular interest.

In November 2023, Stahelski announced that work on the script had been completed. The writers' strike had hampered production last year, but now it seems that the project is finally back on track.

The Release Date for the Ghost of Tsushima Movie

Although the movie is already in development, it will probably take quite some time before it is ready for its premiere on the big screen. First, a cast needs to be found and it seems that the "Highlander" film adaptation with Henry Cavill, also directed by Stahelski, is currently the director's priority. Production on the latter is scheduled to begin in 2024 - "Ghost of Tsushima" may then follow. Let's remain patient while looking forward to the samurai adventure with great optimism. Hopefully we can expect an epic and visually stunning adventure that even Akira Kurosawa would be proud of.