Tornado (upcoming film)

Tornado is an upcoming British thriller film written and directed by John Maclean, with a story by Maclean and Kate Leys. It stars Kōki, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Tim Roth.

Premise
A travelling puppet Samurai show in Britain in 1790 crosses paths with ruthless criminals, but one of the performers, Tornado, hatches a plan to play them at their own game.

Cast

 * Kōki as Tornado
 * Jack Lowden as Little Sugar
 * Takehiro Hira as Tornado's father
 * Tim Roth as Sugarman

Production
Tornado was written and directed by John Maclean, from a story by Maclean and Kate Leys. It was produced by Tea Shop Productions, with financial support from Screen Scotland, the BFI and Ashland Hill Media Finance, and funding from The National Lottery. In May 2023, it was reported that Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Kōki was cast in leading roles. Principal photography with Robbie Ryan as cinematographer began in Edinburgh, Scotland in January 2024.

Release
HanWay Films held sales at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. In January 2024, Lionsgate UK acquired the United Kingdom and Ireland rights. The following month, IFC Films acquired rights to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where it is expected to stream on Shudder, with a planned cinema release by IFC Films.