Ken Watanabe To Make Directorial Debut With WWII Film ‘442nd’?

File this under a rumor for now but Pajiba — who have some well-placed moles — are reporting that Ken Watanabe is eye-ing the WWII drama “442nd” as a vehicle for his directorial debut.

Based on a true story, the film centers on “an American-Japanese military unit assembled during World War II and sent on virtual suicide missions in the European theater. For their efforts against the Nazis, that unit goes on to become the most decorated unit in American military history.” This certainly isn’t Watanabe’s first brush with material from the period having starred in Clint Eastwood’s “Letters From Iwo Jima.” Producer Bill Gerber (“Gran Torino,” “A Very Long Engagement”) is shepherding the project, though there is no word who the screenwriter on the film is at this time.

So, Ken Watanabe the director? Yeah, we could see it. The logline doesn’t particularly excite us, but if he does something different with genre we’d be all for it. Again, this is a well-sourced rumor, so treat it accordingly for now. Watanabe will next be seen in Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” opening on July 16th.