Live-Action LUPIN III Begins Filming
Back in June we reported on a live-action Lupin III movie in development and now we have confirmation of a start date as well as plot details and a few casting changes. Shun Oguri (Captain Harlock) will play the titular lead Arsène Lupin III.
As previously reported, Shun Oguri will play the lead role of Lupin. However, we have some casting changes. Tetsuji Tamayama (Casshern) will play the pistol- wielding Daisuke Jigen, while Gou Ayano (Rurouni Kenshin) is now playing the skilled swordsman Goemon Ishikawa. actor Tadanobu Asano, last seen in Thor: The Dark World as Hogun the Grim, is playing Detective Kōichi Zenigata. At the time of our reporting last June, a number of actresses were said to be vying for the role of Fujiko Mine but it seems none of those names on the list managed to win the role. Instead, the seductive temptress and Lupin love-interest will be played by Meisa Kuroki (Crow Zero II). Ryūhei Kitamura (Godzilla: Final Wars) is directing from a script written by Mataichirō Yamamoto (Crows Zero). Rounding out the cast are Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden) who is playing an original character named Michael Lee, a character described as an adversarial rival of Lupin's. Also starring are South Korean singer Kim Joon and Thailand actor Thanayong Wongtrakul (The Man from Nowhere).
The film is said to cover how Lupin's crew initially met and went on to form Lupin's nefarious gang. The film will shoot in Japan in the coming weeks before moving on to Thailand.
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Casting Underway For Live-Action LUPIN III
"Lupin III (ルパン三世 Rupan Sansei), is a 1967 Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch (Katō Kazuhiko) that follows the incredible feats and adventures of Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series which is often described as a French counterpart to Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlock Holmes. That first manga has spawned a worldwide phenomenon that now includes anime, OVAs, a previous live-action film, music soundtracks, video games and even a musical. Considered the world's greatest thief, Lupin III, travels the globe, stealing priceless objects and announcing his intentions via calling card before pulling off the heist. Joining him are expert marksman and Lupin right-hand man right-hand man Daisuke Jige, master swordsman Goemon Ishikawa XIII who is said to possess a sword and skills that can cut anything and femme fatale Fujiko Mine, fellow thief and Lupin love interest. Pursuing them across the globe is Inspector Koichi Zenigata, who has made it his life mission to catch the master thief."