Futuristic samurai film to be set in Methven

Methven will be the unlikely setting for a futuristic Japanese samurai film.

The low-budget film with a working title of Adventures of Samurai will be shot in the Mid-Canterbury township in January and February, its producers say.

Line producer Tatsu Kuwasaki, of the Japanese production house Nature Spirit Film Productions, said about 60 per cent of the film would be shot in Methven and the rest in Japan.

The science-fiction movie, which has a budget of $4 million, is based on a famous Japanese cartoon from the 1960s.

Mr Kuwasaki said Methven was chosen for the film's location because of its "harsh environment".