"Like Father, Like Son" director Hirokazu Koreeda is set to reunite with "Galileo" actor Masaharu Fukuyama for his still-untitled project. He is penning the untitled original script.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the still-untitled Koreeda project will center on a court case wherein Fukuyama will play a hotshot winning-is-everything lawyer named Shigemori. His character reluctantly defends a convicted killer and ex-convict Misumi ("Memoirs of a Geisha" actor Koji Yakusho), who is being charged with another murder.
Koreeda said in a statement about his still-untitled project that Shigemori is a person whose professional credo is that he does not need to know the truth. But in dealing with what looks at a first glance to be a criminal in a simple murder case, his sense of values is shaken since he really wants to know what is true, Variety reported.
Koreeda's films have been selected for competition at Cannes for four times, and the most recent entry was his 2015 comedy drama "Our Little Sister" starring "Ichi" actress Haruka Ayase and "From Up on Puppy Hill" actress Masami Nagasawa. He is also known for directing the 2008 family drama "Still Walking," which he also co-wrote, and 2008 drama "Like Father, Like Son," wherein Fukuyama starred.
Fukuyama is best known for starring as a successful businessman driven by money Ryota Nonomiya in the Cannes jury prize winner "Like Father, Like Son." He also starred in 2007 TV series "Galileo" as a genius physicist and university professor named Manabu Yukawa. The actor is currently filming John Woo's action film "Manhunt" alongside "The Wolverine" actress Tao Okamoto, which is slated to be released in China this year.
The still-untitled Koreeda project started shooting in January and will end in March. It is slated to be released in Japan by Toho and Gaga in September. The international sales agent has not yet been settled.
Watch the video about Hirokazu Koreeda's movie trailer of "Our Little Sister":