For more than half a century, Yasuaki Kurata has been one of the most prominent and singular Japanese actors in international action cinema. After becoming a major star in Hong Kong during the Golden Age of kung fu films - appearing alongside such icons as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li and Donnie Yen - Kurata now marks both the 60th anniversary of his acting career and his 80th birthday with an ambitious and deeply personal new project, "The Living Dragon." Structured as an anthology of three interconnected stories, the film brings together leading action directors Koichi Sakamoto, Kenji Tanigaki and Yuji Shimomura - all former members of the Kurata Action Club, who went on to earn their own fame in Japan and abroad. Moving between realism, fantasy and memory, the stories they've written for their sifu revolve around aging, unrealized dreams and the enduring spirit of those who continue to devote themselves to cinema.
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Cast
7 people
Yasuaki Kurata
Known for
Fist of Legend
Blood: The Last Vampire
Seiji Takaiwa
Also in
B-Fighter Kabuto
Juukou B-Fighter
Fumi Taniguchi
Also in
Shogun's Ninja
Girls Remix in Halloween Party
Masaya Katō
Known for
Brother
Crying Freeman
Rina Takeda
Known for
Dead Sushi
Attack on Titan
Sammo Hung Kam-bo
Known for
Ip Man 2
Project A
John Ho
Also in
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Speak to the Tide
Yuji Shimomura Director · Koichi Sakamoto Director Kenji Tanigaki Director
First release June 30, 2026 · Produced in Japan · Languages Cantonese, English, Japanese
Production
Japan
Produced in
Languages
Original title
夢物語 The Living Dragon
Original language
Japanese
Spoken on screen
Cantonese · English · Japanese
Release dates
Japan · June 30, 2026
Premiere
Japan · July 17, 2026
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Hong Kong SAR China
November 5, 2026 · Premiere · Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
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