Sei Ashina gets her first starring role in “Nanase Futatabi”
Posted by Kevin Ouellette on December 11, 2009 4:16am EDT (2 years ago)
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Future releases, Cast updates, Movie announcements
Earlier in the week it was reported that Sei Ashina (26) will get her very first starring film role in “Nanase Futatabi”, a movie based on Yasutaka Tsutsui’s best-selling 1975 science fiction novel. Tsutsui is probably best known for writing the 1967 novel “Toki o Kakeru Shojo” (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), but Nanase Futatabi is also popular, having spawned 4 separate TV adaptations over the years.
The story is technically part two of Tsutsui’s “Nanase trilogy”, which also includes the novels “Kazoku Hakkei” (1972) and “Oedipus no Koibito” (1977). The film is intended to be more faithful to his work than previous live-action adaptations have been. Ashina’s character, Nanase Hida, is a psychic with the ability to read minds. With the support of other psychics, each with their own unique powers, the tormented Nanase fights against a mysterious organization determined to wipe their kind out.
According to Tsutsui, Ishina’s strong image and dignified manner are attributes which go to the very essence of the character he originally envisioned. The actress’s stock rose considerably in 2007, when she beat out thousands of other auditioners for a prominent role in François Girard’s “Silk”, her international debut. Since then, she’s had no shortage of film and television roles in Japan, though none quite as big as this.
The other psychics will be played by Eriko Sato, Kei Tanaka, and Ai Maeda, while the main antagonist will be portrayed by Eisaku Yoshida.
Kazuya Konaka, best known for his extensive work in the Ultraman franchise, is directing and “Ghost in the Shell” writer Kazunori Ito provided the screenplay. The film will be released at Cinemart Shinjuku, Cinemart Shinsaibashi, and other theaters nation-wide beginning in June 2010.
Sources: Tokyograph | Cinema Today
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