Here's some news straight from Billy Tucci himself. He is very enthusiastic about the movie, and about writing and drawing Shi again.

Remember that Billy said that the plot will be "based on" Shi: Way of the Warrior? Well, it is. Mostly. Some changes to the original story:

• In the movie, Ana's father will be American, and her mother will be Japanese.
• Ana's day job will be the Cultural Liaison for the Japanese Consulate.
• Arashi will be a playwright. Ana will bring him to America, where he resurrects the Kabuki Theatre.
• Arashi will have a "personal assistant" Kita, who is a Sohei warrior, as well as three Geisha companions
• Detective Joe Labianca will be a younger man, and Ana's love interest.
• Tomoe does not appear in the movie.

Casting possibilities (none of these are signed, just possibilities!):

• Matt Dillon as Detective Joe Labianca
• George Takei as Ana's grandfather

The script is finished, and Billy is working on costume design. Production is scheduled for March 2000, in Montreal and NYC.

Billy also talked about upcoming projects. The first is a Wolverine/Shi book, for release in February. No word on who will write the story, but Chris Claremont and Mark Waid are possible candidates. After that, the long awaited Shi: Ring of Fire. The story takes place after Shi: Heaven and Earth. Shi/Ana is on the run. She travels throughout Asia, looking for Shangri-La.

Billy says, that after this two years away from drawing and writing Shi, he is ready to be back, doing what he loves. He expressed regret about being away so long, and apologized to fans. With the movie script and Battlebooks behind him, he is ready to focus on the comic book. Billy says, "You ain't seen nothing yet!"

July 26, 1999

The word is out. Shi: The Motion Picture is slated to start production in January 2000, to be shot in Toronto and New York. As you can see by this lovely poster, Tia Carrere has been cast to play the title character of Shi/Ana Ishikawa.

Rumors abound about other cast members...Alec Baldwin is an oft heard name. Our Peter, perhaps?

Billy is saying that the story will be "based on" Shi: Way of the Warrior. We all know what that means: The original story wasn't "Hollywood" enough for the Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek, who, along with Franchise Pictures, are bringing us the film adaptation of the Ana Ishikawa story.

Not only will the plot change, but so will Shi's costume. Surprisingly, it covers more skin than the original costume. The real question is...will Tia be training in martial arts for this movie, a la Carrie Moss in The Matrix? That certainly would add to her credibility as a character.

Riding on the wave on the new movie will be a new Shi series, drawn by the man, Billy Tucci, himself! Shi: Ring of Fire is rumored to be the final Shi series to be published on a bimonthly basis. Original fans of Shi: The Way of the Warrior have not bought into the Shi spin-off titles without Billy's art. Can he win them back with Shi: Ring of Fire, or have they already given up on him?