The information below is from an interview on Director Nakata's own site, as well as a separate interview on cinematopics.com. Both are translated here from the original Japanese.

The first time Ring director Nakata Hideo visited Los Angeles was in 2001, when he attended a meeting of Hollywood agents, lawyers, and representatives regarding an American remake of the Ring. At that time he had this to say about the project:

"They're apparently filming some of the outdoor scenes in Seattle, where there are all these islands in the background to sort of evoke the feel of Oshima [the island setting from the original Ring], but the set shoots will be done in Hollywood. The thing of it is, even though the script has changed any number of times and its contents revised and re-revised, the project seemed to be progressing with exceptional speed compared to your average Hollywood movie. I mean, going from acquisition of the [original] movie rights to actually shooting scenes in less than a year? By DreamWorks, no less? That's pretty incredible."

"I was actually asked if I wanted to read the script. I declined, though, because I prefer to wait and enjoy the completed film. Apparently they're having some difficulties in getting the distinctly Japanese feel of the movie to gel with the more logical, Western mindset."

"The people in charge of the remake have said that they haven't read the original novel: they've used the Japanese movie as a kind of template upon which to build their own version of the story. When asked about this approach, the reply I got was, 'It's a tricky thing taking Japanese sensibilities and presenting them as-is for an American audience.'"

In February of 2002 Nakata again visited L.A., this time to participate in the American Film Market. It was there that remake rights for his film Honogurai Mizu no Soko Kara [Lit. "From the Murky Depths"], were negotiated. The film was based on the novel by Ring author Suzuki Koji, and its American counterpart will be produced under the title Dark Water.

Nakata says his English is of "intermediate level," but attempted to actively participate in all discussions. He also attended "several" meetings regarding the possibility of directing an American feature.

It was on this second trip to L.A. that Nakata stopped by the set of The Ring, for a shoot at the apartment of reporter Rachel Keller (played by Naomi Watts).

"I spoke a little with Naomi, and with director Gore Verbinski as well, Nakata said. Gore and I had lunch together... during which he questioned me about some of my earlier films like Sadistic & Masochistic. It seems he'd been studying my filmography on the internet. He also said that he had the deepest respect for the original Ring." Nakata also confirmed that the remake is scheduled to be in Japanese theaters before year's end.

Nakata concluded that he had hired an agent and was looking into the possibility of directing feature films in the United States, which he said, despite the difficulties involved, he would definitely like to try.