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Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones to Portray General Douglas MacArthur in Peter Webber's "Emperor

3rd February 2012

Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln, Men in Black, The Fugitive) joins Matthew Fox (World War Z, I, Alex Cross, Lost) in EMPEROR (working title) from director Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring). Jones will portray General Douglas MacArthur in the film which is based on a screenplay by David Klass (Walking Tall, Desperate Measures, Kiss the Girls) and Vera Blasi (Woman on Top, Tortilla Soup), EMPEROR will be produced byYoko Narahashi (The Last Samurai), Gary Foster (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Sleepless in Seattle, The Soloist), Eugene Nomura (Tajomaru, Surely Some Day) and Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist).

Producer Gary Foster said: “Tommy will bring strength, intelligence, and gravitas to the portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur, a legendary American hero.”

Inspired by true events, EMPEROR is an epic story of love and understanding set amidst the tensions and uncertainties of the days immediately following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. On the staff of General Douglas MacArthur (Jones), the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces, a leading Japanese expert, General Bonner Fellers (Fox) is charged with reaching a decision of historical importance: should Emperor Hirohito be tried and hanged as a war criminal?

Interwoven with this nail-biting political thriller is the story of Fellers’ love affair with Aya, a Japanese exchange student he had met years previously in the U.S. Memories of Aya and his quest to find her in the ravaged post-war landscape help Fellers to discover both his wisdom and his humanity and enable him to come to the momentous decision that changed the course of history and the future of two nations.

Mr. Jones is represented by CAA and lawyer Bill Jacobson while Fox is represented by Management 360, WME and lawyer Craig Jacobson.

Production is due to begin in January 2012 with lensing to take place in New Zealand and Japan. CAA is handling sales inside the United States. EMPEROR is a co-production between Fellers Film and Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment.

About Fellers Film

Fellers Film was formed by acclaimed casting director, director and producer Yoko Narahashi and actor / producer Eugene Nomura. Narahashi has been involved with major international films including: The Last Samurai, Babel and Memoirs of a Geisha while Nomura has been involved with Japanese film and television for 25 years.

About Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment

Producer Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff have been successful Hollywood producers for over 25 years. Gary’s credits include Sleepless in Seattle, Tin Cup, Ghost Rider, Daredevil and The Soloist. With his partner Russ Krasnoff, they executive produce the NBC series Community, now in its 3^rd season.

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