They say you may’t judge a book by its cover, and I certainly know you can’t judge a movie by the book on which it is based, but… if you could… I’d sayBrad Pitt’s upcoming action-thrillerBullet Trainis on track to be one of the coolest movies of next year.
I say that with some confidence having readBullet Train, which is the first English-language translation ofKōtarōIsaka’s novelMaria Bītoru (Maria Beetle).Bullet Trainfollows a group of, shall we say, several assassins (a specific number may very well spoil the fun!) who board the same high-speed Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Morioka, Japan. Each one has a specific purpose, and part of the fun is in figuring out just what that purpose is, and whose job is to simply keep an eye on the others. Unlike the track the train follows, the novel features plenty of twists and turns, and Collider is proud to present an exclusive excerpt from the book below. But first, let’s talk about the movie some more.
Bullet Trainhails from action impresarioDavid Leitch, whose directing credits includeJohn Wick,Deadpool 2,Atomic Blonde, andHobbs & Shaw. The high-octane film boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Pitt,Joey King,Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Logan Lerman,Andrew Koji,Michael Shannon,Brian Tyree Henry,Zazie Beetz,Hiroyuki Sanada,Masi Oka,Bad Bunny, and in a true casting coup, Oscar winnerSandra Bullock. We’re also waiting to see if ourLady Gagacasting scoopwill be confirmed in future marketing materials, as Sony has yet to acknowledge her involvement in any official capacity.
RELATED:‘Bullet Train’: Why Brad Pitt and David Leitch’s Assassin Movie Is Such a Hot Property
So, the big question is, who is everyone playing? Well, three pieces of the puzzle are already on IMDb, albeit without any context. The site has Pitt playing Ladybug, which is the code name for Nanao, an assassin who has particularly bad luck. King will play the Prince, an innocent schoolgirl on the outside but a true psychopath on the inside, capable of influencing and manipulating everyone around her. The precocious teen has been gender-swapped from the book. Taylor-Johnson will play Tangerine, one half of a deadly pair of assassins along with Lemon, and as you’ll see in the excerpt below, the chapters following those two characters are labeled “Fruit.” Get it? Because as in life, you have to take the sour with the sweet.
Which begs the question, who’s playing Lemon, Tangerine’s sweet-hearted-but-still-lethal partner in crime? We don’t have confirmation, but knowing what I know about the character, who is obsessed with the train-themed children’s TV showThomas and Friends, and the fact that the breakdown for this film described Lemon and Tangerine as “twins” (looks-wise, not biologically, I believe), I think it’s safe to assume Lerman is playing Lemon.
Collider has confirmed that Koji, who has been getting good reviews for his work in bothWarriorandSnake Eyes, will play Yuichi Kimura, who’s a pretty fascinating character. Kimura is onboard with a score to settle against the Prince, whomayhave made arrangements of her own in anticipation of such vengeance. Or… she could be bluffing. Either way, the two of them are on quite the collision course, and this one is personal.
I’d be willing to bet that Sanada is playing Koji’s father, Shigeru Kimura, who takes on greater significance in the book’s third act. Yes, this may be one train everyone is desperate to get off of, but for some reason, more and more players keep coming onboard as the train nears its final destination. Sanada could also be playing Minegishi, the feared gangster whom everyone believes they’re working for, but that character is spoken of more than actually seen, and as such, there’d be no need to cast a major Japanese star of his stature. Though as with any adaptation, some characters are beefed up, while others are cut out entirely.
Every train must have a staff, of course, and to that end, without saying much more, I would wager that Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz seem likely to be playing those roles, though it does beg the question of how Michael Shannon fits into this picture. It’s possible he’s playing Morning Glory, an assassin who is not on the train, though it’s also just as possible that I’ve reversed Henry and Shannon’s roles, in which case, please forgive me, as Sony did not participate in this story, and multiple representatives were tight-lipped regarding character details. Meanwhile, Masi Oka strikes me as a good fit for Suzuki, a mild-mannered teacher aboard the train.
RELATED:Andrew Koji on ‘Snake Eyes,’ ‘Warrior’ Season 3, and David Leitch’s ‘Bullet Train’
Of course, the original novel was titledMaria Beetlefor a reason, and Bullock seems a safe bet for that mysterious role, who is basically Ladybug’s handler, more or less. She bills herself as middle management – a great connector, if you will – but perhaps she’s the one pulling the strings?
I’m sure we’ll get more clarity on who the cast is playing down the line, asBullet Traindoesn’t hit theaters until June 26, 2025. For now, here’s a chapter-long excerpt we were generously offered timed to the release of the book,which will be available on Aug. 3. It makes for a great end-of-summer beach read, as the action moves fast – just like the bullet train of the title. Isaka will definitely keep you guessing to the end, so be sure and pick up a copy before the film comes out next year, because this is one wild ride you won’t want to miss.
(The following excerpt covers pages 6-15 in the book and has not been edited by Collider.)
‘How’s that cut doing?’ Tangerine, in the aisle seat, asks Lemon, next to the window.
They’re in car three, row ten, the three-seater. Lemon is staring out the window, muttering. ‘Why’d they have to get rid of the 500 series? The blue ones. I loved them.’ As if finally hearing the question, he knits his brow, ‘What cut?’ His long hair sticks out like a lion’s mane, though it’s hard to tell if he styles it that way or if it’s just bedhead. Lemon’s complete lack of interest in work, or in anything really, shows in his eyes and his curled upper lip. Tangerine wonders vaguely if his partner’s looks dictated his personality or the other way round.
‘From when you got slashed yesterday.’ He points. ‘The cut on your cheek?’
‘When did I get slashed?’
‘Saving this rich kid.’
Now Tangerine points at the guy sitting in the middle seat. A younger guy, early twenties, long hair, wedged in between them. He keeps staring back and forth from Lemon to Tangerine. He’s looking a lot better than when they rescued him the night before. They had found him tied up, worked over, shaking uncontrollably. But it hasn’t even been a full day and he seems pretty much back to normal.Probably nothing going on inside, thinks Tangerine. Often the case with people who don’t read fiction. Hollow inside, monochrome, so they can switch gears no problem. They swallow something and forget about it as soon as it goes down their throat. Constitutionally incapable of empathy. These are the people who most need to read, but in most cases it’s already too late.
Tangerine checks his watch. 9 a.m., so, nine hours since they rescued the kid. He was being held in a building in the Fujisawa Kongocho part of town, in a room three floors underground, this rich kid, Yoshio Minegishi’s only son, and Tangerine and Lemon busted him out.
‘I’d never do something so stupid as get slashed. Gimme a break.’ Lemon and Tangerine are the same height, around five-ten, and both have the same rangy build. People often assume they’re brothers, twins even. Twin killers for hire. Whenever anyone refers to them as brothers, Tangerine feels a deep frustration. It’s unbelievable to him anyone could lump him in with someone so careless and simplistic. It probably doesn’t bother Lemon, though. Tangerine can’t stand Lemon’s sloppy ways. One of their associates once said that Tangerine is easy to deal with but Lemon is a pain. Just like the fruit – no one wants to eat a lemon. Tangerine had agreed wholeheartedly.
‘Then what’s that cut on your cheek from? You’ve got a red line from here to here. I heard it happen. That punk came at you with a blade and you screamed.’
‘I’d never scream because of that. If I did scream, it was because the guy went down so fast and I was disappointed. Like, oh my God, is he really such a wuss, you know? Anyway, this thing on my face isn’t from a blade. It’s just a rash. I’ve got allergies.’
‘Never seen a rash look so much like a slash.’
‘Are you the creator of rashes?’
‘Am I the what?’ Tangerine looks dubious.
‘Did you create the rashes and allergic reactions in this world? No? Then maybe you’re a health critic, and you’re denying my twenty-eight-year history with allergies? What exactly do you know about rashes?’
It’s always like this. Lemon gets all puffed up and starts casting wild aspersions, spouting off at random. If Tangerine doesn’t either accept the blame or stop listening altogether, Lemon will keep it up indefinitely. But they hear a small sound between them, coming from the kid, Little Minegishi. He’s making uncertain noises. ‘Uh. Um.’
‘What?’ asks Tangerine.
‘What?’ asks Lemon.
‘Um, what, uh, what were your names again?’
When they had found him the night before, he was tied to a chair and wrung out like a limp rag. Tangerine and Lemon woke him up and carried him out, and he just kept saying I’m sorry, I’m sorry, he couldn’t get anything else out. Tangerine realizes that the kid probably has no idea what’s going on.
‘I’m Dolce, he’s Gabbana,’ he says off-handedly.
‘No,’ says Lemon with a nod, ‘I’m Donald, he’s Douglas.’
‘What?’ But even as Tangerine asks, he knows that these are characters fromThomas and Friends. No matter what the subject is, Lemon always manages to steer the conversation toThomas. A long-running TV show for kids, filmed with model trains – Lemon loves it. Whenever he needs an allegory chances are he’ll pull it from an episode ofThomas and Friends. Like everything he ever learned about life and happiness came from that show.
‘I know I’ve told you this before, Tangerine. Donald and Douglas are twin black locomotives. They speak very properly. Well, well, if it isn’t our good friend Henry – like that. Talking like that makes a good impression. I’m sure you agree.’
‘Can’t say I do.’
Lemon sticks his hand in his jacket pocket, rummages around, pulls out a glossy sheet about the size of an address book. He points at it. ‘Look, this is Donald.’ There are a bunch of trains on it,Thomas and Friendsstickers. One of them is black. ‘No matter how many times I tell you, you always forget the names. It’s like you’re not even trying.’
‘I’m not.’
‘You’re no fun. Look, I’ll give this to you so you can remember their names. Starting from here, this is Thomas, here’s Oliver, see, they’re all lined up for you. Even the Diesel.’ Lemon starts rattling off names one by one. Tangerine shoves the sheet of stickers back at him.
‘So, uh, what are your names?’ asks Little Minegishi.
‘Hemingway and Faulkner,’ says Tangerine.
‘Bill and Ben are twins too, and so are Harry and Burt,’ puts in Lemon.
‘We are not twins.’
‘Okay, Donald and Douglas, sirs,’ says Little Minegishi earnestly. ‘Did my dad hire you to save me?’
Lemon begins digging around in his ear, looking disinterested. ‘Yeah, I guess that’s right. Although if I’m being honest, we kind of had to take the job. Too dangerous to say no to your dad.’
Tangerine agrees. ‘Your father is a frightening individual.’
‘Do you think he’s scary too? Or maybe he goes easy on you cos you’re his boy.’ Lemon pokes the rich kid, only very lightly, but the kid jumps.
‘Uh, ah, no, I don’t think he’s that scary.’
Tangerine smiles acidly. He’s starting to settle in. That particular train seat smell. ‘You know about the things your father did when he was in Tokyo? There’s all kinds of crazy stories. Like the one about when he was loan sharking and a girl was five minutes late on her payment and he chopped off her arm, you heard that one? Not her finger, you know, her arm. And we’re not talking about five hours, she was only late five minutes. And then he takes her arm –’ And here he cuts himself off, feeling like the well-lit world of the Shinkansen isn’t the place for gory details.
‘Yeah, I’ve heard that one,’ mutters the rich kid, sounding uninterested. ‘And then he put it in a microwave, right?’ Like he’s talking about the time his dad tried some new recipe.
‘Okay, okay, how about the one –’ Lemon leans forward and pokes the kid again – ‘where Minegishi had a guy who wouldn’t pay up, and he got the guy’s son, and he stood father and son in front of each other and gave them both box cutters and – '
‘I’ve heard that one too.’
‘You heard about that?’ Tangerine is nonplussed.
‘But really, your father’s smart. He keeps it simple. If someone’s giving him a problem, get rid of them, he says, and if something’s complicated, he just says forget about it.’ Lemon watches through the window as another train pulls out of the station. ‘A little while back there was a guy in Tokyo named Terahara. Made a ton of money, and made a mess doing it.’
‘Yeah, his organization was called Maiden. I know. I’ve heard about him.’
The kid’s starting to feel comfortable, giving off a whiff of entitlement. Tangerine doesn’t like it. He could get into a story about a spoiled kid if it was in a novel, but in real life he isn’t interested. All it does is aggravate him.
‘So, Maiden fell apart six, maybe seven years ago,’ continues Lemon. ‘Terahara and his kid both died, and the operation was split up. In the aftermath, your father must have known that things were gonna get ugly, so he just picked up and left town, up north to Morioka. Like I said, smart.’
‘Um. Thank you.’
‘What are you thanking me for? I’m not praising your dad here.’ Lemon keeps his eye on the white body of the departing train as it fades into the distance, apparently sad to see it go.
‘No, I mean thank you for rescuing me. I thought I was a goner. They tied me up, there must have been thirty of them. They had me underground and everything. And I had this feeling that even if my dad paid the ransom they’d kill me anyway. They seemed to really hate my dad. I was like, this is it for me, for sure.’
The rich kid seems to be getting more and more talkative, and Tangerine makes a sour face. ‘You’re pretty sharp. First, basically everyone hates your dad. Not just your friends from last night. I’d say you’re more likely to meet someone who’s, I don’t know, immortal than find someone who doesn’t hate your dad. Second, like you said, they would have killed you the moment they got the money, no doubt about it. When you thought you were a goner, you were right.’
Minegishi had contacted Tangerine and Lemon from Morioka and tasked them with bringing the ransom money to the captors and rescuing his son. Sounded simple enough, but nothing is ever simple.
‘Your pop was very specific,’ Lemon grumbled as he counted off on his fingers. ‘Save my son. Bring back the ransom money. Kill everyone involved. Like he thinks he’s gonna get everything his heart desires.’
Minegishi had prioritized the list. Most important was bringing back his son, then the money, then killing all the perpetrators.
‘But, Donald, you did all of it. You did great.’ The rich kid’s eyes are sparkling.
‘Wait, Lemon, where’s the suitcase?’ Tangerine is suddenly worried. Lemon was supposed to be carrying the suitcase with the ransom money in it. It didn’t feel quite big enough for more than a few days away but it was a decent-sized model with a sturdy handle. At the moment, it’s not on the luggage rack or under the seat or anywhere in sight.
‘Tangerine, you noticed!’ Lemon leans back and props his legs up on the seat in front of him, smiling broadly. Then he starts to fish around in his pocket. ‘Here, check this out.’
‘The suitcase doesn’t fit in your pocket.’
Lemon laughs, though no one else does. ‘Yeah, all I’ve got in my pocket is this little piece of paper.’ He produces something the size of a business card and waves it in the air.
‘What’s that?’ The rich kid leans in for a closer look.
‘It’s an entry for a giveaway from the supermarket we stopped at on the way here. They run it once a month. Check it out – first prize is a paid ticket for a holiday! And they must have messed up because there’s no expiry date, so if you win you can go whenever you want!’
‘Can I have it?’
‘No way. I’m not gonna give it to you. What do you need travel tickets for? Your dad can pay for your holidays. You’ve got dad tickets.’
‘Lemon, forget about the giveaway, tell me where the hell the suitcase is.’ There’s an edge in Tangerine’s voice. A nasty premonition flickers through him.
Lemon looks over at him serenely. ‘You don’t know much about trains so I’ll break it down for you. On current models of the Shinkansen there’s storage space in the gangways between the cars for large luggage. Big suitcases, ski equipment, that kind of thing.’
Tangerine is at a momentary loss for words. To relieve the pressure of the blood boiling in his head he reflexively elbows the rich kid in the arm. The kid yelps, then whines in protest, but Tangerine ignores him. ‘Lemon, didn’t your parents teach you to keep a close eye on your belongings?’ He does his best to keep his voice even.
Lemon is obviously offended. ‘What does that even mean?’ he sputters. ‘Do you see anywhere I could have put the suitcase? There are three people sitting here, how exactly was I supposed to fit the suitcase?’ Gobs of spit rain down on the rich kid. ‘I had to store itsomewhere!’
‘Could have used the overhead rack.’
‘You weren’t carrying it so you don’t know, but that thing’s heavy!’
‘I did carry it for a bit, and it isn’t that heavy.’
‘And don’t you think that if anyone noticed a couple of shady-looking dudes like us with a suitcase they’d figure Oh there must be something valuable inside, and then the jig would be up. I’m trying to be careful here!’
‘The jig would not be up.’
‘It would. And anyway, Tangerine, you know that both my parents died in an accident when I was in kindergarten. They didn’t teach me much of anything. I guess if they taught me one thing it was not to keep suitcases nearby.’
‘You’re so full of shit.’
The mobile phone in Tangerine’s pocket vibrates, making his skin buzz. He takes out the phone, checks the caller ID and grimaces. ‘It’s your father,’ he says to the rich kid. As he stands and heads towards the gangway, the Shinkansen starts to pull away.
The automatic door opens and Tangerine accepts the call as he steps into the gangway. He puts the phone up to his ear and hears Minegishi. ‘Well?’ The voice is quiet but penetrating. Tangerine draws up next to the window and follows the passing city scene with his eyes.
‘The train just left.’
‘Is my son safe?’
‘If he weren’t, I wouldn’t be on the train.’
Then Minegishi asks if they have the money, and what happened to the kidnappers. The noise of the train running gets louder and it becomes harder to hear. Tangerine makes his report.
‘Once you’ve brought my son back to me, your work is done.’
You’re just up there relaxing in your villa, how much do you really care about your boy?
Tangerine bites his tongue.
The line goes dead. Tangerine turns to go back but stops short: Lemon is standing right in front of him. It’s a strange feeling, facing someone exactly his height, like looking into a mirror. But the person he sees is more careless, more badly behaved than he is, giving Tangerine the peculiar sensation that his own negative traits have taken human form and are staring back at him.
Lemon’s natural jumpiness is on full display. ‘Tangerine, this is bad.’
‘Bad? What’s bad. Blame me for your problems.’
‘It’s your problem too.’
‘What happened?’
‘You said that I should put the suitcase with the money on the overhead rack, right?’
‘Well, it started to worry me too, so I went to get it. To the storage space in the gangway, on the other side of our car.’
‘Good thinking. And?’
‘It’s gone.’
The two of them fly through car number three to the gangway on the other side. The storage space is next to the bathrooms and sink area. Two racks, one large suitcase on the top. Not the one with Minegishi’s money inside. Next to them is a small empty shelf that looks like a payphone used to live there.
‘You put it here?’ Tangerine points at the empty rack below the large suitcase.
‘And where’d it go?’
‘The toilet?’
‘The suitcase?’
‘Yeah.’ It’s not clear whether Lemon’s playing or serious as he steps over to the men’s room door and yanks it open. But when he shouts, ‘Where are you? Where’d you piss off to? Come back!’ his voice sounds frantic.
Maybe someone took it by mistake, thinks Tangerine, but he knows that’s not true. His heart rate rises. The fact that he’s shaken up shakes him up.
‘Hey, Tangerine, what three words describe our situation right now?’ A twitchy muscle in Lemon’s face keeps firing.
Just then the snack trolley enters the gangway. The young attendant stops to see if they’d like anything but they don’t want her to hear their conversation and they wave her on.
Tangerine waits until she and the cart disappear through the door. ‘Three words? “We are screwed”?’
‘We arefucked.’
Tangerine suggests that they return to their seats to calm down and think. He starts off and Lemon follows. ‘But hey, I’m not done. Any other three-word combinations?’ It may be that he’s confused, or that he’s just simple-minded, but there’s not a shred of gravity in his voice.
Tangerine pretends not to hear him and enters car three, makes his way down the aisle. The train isn’t crowded, only maybe forty percent full on a weekday morning. Tangerine doesn’t know how many people are usually on the Shinkansen, but this feels quiet.
Since they’re walking towards the back of the train, the passengers are facing them. People with arms folded, people with eyes closed, people reading the newspaper, business people. Tangerine scans the overhead racks and the footrests. Looking for a mid-size black suitcase.
Little Minegishi is still in his seat, halfway down the car. He has the 15 seat leaned back and his eyes closed, his mouth gaping, his body lolling towards the window. He must be tired after all – two days ago he was kidnapped, held and tortured, then busted out in the middle of the night and hustled to the train without a wink of sleep.
But none of these thoughts cross Tangerine’s mind. Instead his heart goes full jackhammer.And now this. He flounders for a moment but reins himself in, swiftly sits next to the kid and feels his neck.
Lemon steps closer.
‘Sleeping in a time of crisis, young master?’
‘Lemon, our crisis just got worse.’
‘The young master’s dead.’ ‘
No way.’ Several seconds pass before Lemon adds, ‘We areroyallyfucked.’ Then he counts on his fingers and mutters, ‘Guess that’s four words.’
Bullet Train the book arrives Aug. 3, while the IMAX-bound movie hits theaters on June 01, 2025.
KEEP READING:Producer Kelly McCormick on ‘Nobody,’ ‘Bullet Train’ with Brad Pitt, and the Status of ‘Hobbs & Shaw 2’
