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Tuesday, 11th August 2015
In Japan Entertainment News,
Mel Gibson to start shooting new Battle of Okinawa film in September
Mel Gibson is to return to directing after a hiatus of more than a decade, as he starts shooting a new film about the Battle of Okinawa in September.
Despite being based on events that occurred on the Japanese island during World War II, the movie is to be filmed in Australia.
The action will be centred around a conscientious objector who saved 75 people in this dramatic battle.
Desmond Doss was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor, after serving as a corporal in the Medical Detachment of the US Army.
Being a medic allowed him to play a role in combat without killing or carrying a weapon, which would have gone against his personal beliefs.
Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington are expected to star in the new film, which is slated for release in 2016 and will be called Hacksaw Ridge.
This will not be the first time that Mr Doss has been portrayed in popular culture, as he was the subject of award-winning documentary The Conscientious Objector in 2004.
He also featured in the Medal of Honor Special comic published by Dark Horse Comics in 1994.
The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest to be fought in the Pacific and went on for 82 days from April to June of 1945.
It was conducted due to an allied desire to use the islands, just 340 miles away from mainland Japan, as a US base, but the Japanese, including a number of Kamikaze pilots fought hard to defend it.
While some visitors come to see the World War II sites, the 150 islands of Okinawa in the East China Sea are known for a wide selection of attractions in modern times.
These include its tropical climate, stunning beaches and coral reefs, as well as the wildlife that can be found around the islands, such as manta rays and whale sharks.
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