Best Ninja Films > Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin is a 2009 American martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay penned by J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his former mentor, played by ninja film legend Sho Kosugi. Ninja Assassin explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. Known for their previous work on the Matrix Trilogy and V for Vendetta, the Wachowski brothers, Joel Silver and Grant Hill produced the film. A joint collective effort to commit to the film’s production was made by Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. It was commercially distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Ninja Assassin premiered in theaters across the United States on November 25, 2009 earning $38,122,883 in ticket receipts at the North American box office. The film earned an additional $23,467,369 in business through international release to top out at a combined $61,590,252 in gross revenue. The film’s budget was $40 million.
Ninja Assassin was directed by James McTeigue, and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers. The project was inspired by the ninja scenes featured in the Wachowskis’ 2008 film Speed Racer, in which the actor Rain had impressed the Wachowskis with his portrayal as a fighter. The Wachowskis were dissatisfied with the original script, and hired J. Michael Straczynski to write a new draft for the film six weeks before it began production.
