Director Kentaro Otani (Nana) is set to direct a film adaptation of “Gene Waltz” by pathologist and author Takeru Kaido (The Glorious Team Batista, The Triumphant General Rouge). Miho Kanno (32), who’s recently appeared in TV dramas like “Tomorrow”, “Hataraki Man”, and “Kiina”, will star as a doctor who rebels against the Japanese medical system.

Kanno will play Doctor Rie Sonezaki, a fertility specialist dubbed the “Obstetrics Joan of Arc” for her willingness to go to extraordinary lengths to help women who want to have babies—even if it means risking her career by violating the policy most Japanese obstetricians have long held against assisting with the use of surrogate mothers.

Surrogacy is a highly controversial topic in Japan, with an ongoing debate over whether it should be officially banned. While technically legal, there are few obstetricians willing to do it on principle. And when a mother does manage to go through with it, there’s often a significant social stigma attached to having another woman bear their child. There’s also a severe shortage of obstetricians in the country, both caused by the low birthrate and simultaneously compounding the problem. It’s Kaido’s hope that turning his novel into a film might help in bringing the obstetrics field back from the brink of ruin.

Seiichi Tanabe will co-star as Goro Kyokawa, Sonezaki’s superior at Mikado Hana Medical School Department of Obstetrics who also wishes to change the system. The rest of the cast includes Miho Shiraishi, Nana Katase, Kaho Minami, Jun Fubuki, and Ruriko Asaoka.

“Gene Waltz” will be completed by February 2010 with an eye toward a Fall theatrical release by Toei.

Sources: Cinema Today | @tokyograph

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Tags: gene waltz, jun fubuki, kaho minami, kentaro otani, miho kanno, miho shiraishi, nana katase, ruriko asaoka, seiichi tanabe