Japanese Remake of Cult Sci-Fi Hit ‘Cube’ Goes to Cinedigm (Exclusive)

Etan Vlessing
·2 min read
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Cinedigm has picked up the U.S. rights to the Japanese sci-fi horror movie Cube, a remake of Vincenzo Natali’s 1997 Canadian cult classic of the same name.

Cinedigm will release the remake on its horror streamer Screambox on April 11. Natali directed the original Cube movie, which came out of the Canadian Film Centre’s First Feature Project.

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“Vincenzo Natali’s Cube is a modern cult classic that broke new ground with its unique production design and groundbreaking storytelling. This new Japanese experience honors the original and delivers the goods horror fans expect to see,” Brad Miska, managing director of Bloody Disgusting/Cinedigm, said in a statement.

The Japanese remake, directed by Yasuhiko Shimizu, follows a group of strangers who find themselves trapped in a sadistic maze without remembering how they got there. After waking up drugged and disoriented, the prisoners, who seemingly have nothing in common, find themselves in a mysterious room inscribed with an unfamiliar code.

Looking for ways to escape, they discover the room is riddled with lethal traps. As fear and distrust swirl around them, the group must work together to survive.

Natali’s original Cube movie had seven strangers trapped in a giant cube-like structure as part of a sci-fi survival thriller about artificial intelligence, humanity and the birth of a new “digital” race.

The original film spawned a prequel and sequel: Cube²: Hypercube (2002) and Cube Zero (2004).

Natali serves as an executive producer on the Japanese remake of Cube, which stars Masaki Suda, Anne Watanabe, Masaki Okada, Takumi Saitoh and Kôtarô Yoshida. Kôji Tokuo wrote the adapted screenplay for the Japanese horror pic that grossed almost $2.5 million in international box office.

The film was produced by Satoko Ishida and Akiko Funatsu, with Shigeaki Yoshida also executive producing.

The U.S. deal was negotiated between Brandon Hill, director of acquisitions for Cinedigm, and Meri Koyama, head of sales at Shochiku Co.

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