Yu Aoi and Masaki Okada are set to star in an upcoming jidaigeki film called Raiou, which is based on a best-selling novel by Mari Ueza inspired by Shakespeare’s classic tale of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Aoi and Okada briefly appeared together in the 2009 film Honokaa Boy, but this will be the first time they’ll actually co-star together together in earnest. It will also be Okada’s first role in a historical drama.

Okada will play Narimichi, a young man born into the family of the shogunate, and thus bound by the shackles of his own bloodline and the expectations of Edo period society. Aoi will play Rai, a girl who has been living deep in the mountains since being kidnapped at a young age. Under normal circumstances, these two would never cross paths, but a chance encounter in front of a strange tree called “Raiou” sparks an unlikely romance.

The film is being directed by Ryuichi Hiroki, who will once again work with TBS producer Takashi Hirano. The two previously worked together on on the domestic smash hit “Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome” earlier this year. Filming will begin in March in the Kyushu region and will last about a month, with a nation-wide release planned for Fall 2010.

Sources: Tokyograph | CinemaCafe

Update (5/14): Fixed Aoi’s character name

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Tags: akira emoto, keisuke koide, masaki okada, raiou, ryuichi hiroki, saburo tokito, yu aoi