'Vessels' Horror Movie Director Announced; Ryuhei Kitamura Releases Statement!

Japanese film director Ryuhei Kitamura has been confirmed to direct the upcoming "Vessels" horror movie which is based from history and hauntings from the now retired ship RMS Queen Mary as reported by Variety.

"Vessels" horror movie will be produced by Ubiquity Studios with the script written by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote the screenplay for films "Annabelle" and "Bloodmonkey." Kitamura, 46, is best known for his work in popular Japanese films such as "Azumi," "Godzilla: Final Wars," and "The Midnight Meat Train." His last work is the live-action film "Lupin III" in 2014 starring Shun Oguri, Meisa Kuroki and Jerry Yan.

The director speaks about the upcoming project: "The Queen Mary has an epic history through both glorious and hard times, and I'm fascinated by all the stories... I'm determined to create a visually stunning, really scary modern day ghost story that takes place on this graceful vessel, and it's a great honor to be able to shoot on the real Queen Mary" as reported by Crunchyroll.

So what is this "Vessels" horror movie all about? Let's have some little history: The RMS Queen Mary is a huge ocean liner that sailed for the Cunard-White Star Line - who also made Titanic in 2012 - from 1936 until her retirement in 1967. During World War II, it served as a troop transport which earned its popular nickname 'The Gray Ghost'. RMS Queen Mary is much known for its reputation for being haunted, embarking on over 1000 voyages during her tenure.

Currently, the RMS Queen Mary serves as a tourist attraction as it has been transformed into a hotel, restaurant, and a museum ship. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the ship as part of its Historic Hotels of America.

"Vessels" horror movie will start shooting in January of 2016, with locations aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA and in Ubiquity's studios in Irvine, CA.