by Chris MaGee
Kankuro Kudo, screenwriter for “Ping Pong” and “Zebraman” and director of “Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims” an award-winning playwright?! It’s true! In the summer of 2004 Kudo’s play titled “Don-ju (Dumb Animal” was staged at the Parco Theater in Shibuya. It revolved around the disappearance of a novelist named Dekogawa who has just released a successful autobiographical novel about his youth. His editor tracks him as far as a bar frequented by Dekogawa’s childhood friends, friends who are concerned that his book will reveal their secrets. Have they killed Dekogawa? Is another author simply using Dekogawa’s name? Or have the friend’s killed Dekogawa many times before…? This fascinating sounding play went on to tour in Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Kobe and winning the most prominent award in Japanese theatre, the Kunio Kishida Drama Award.
Now, according to Tokyograph Kudo’s play is being adapted to the screen, but he won’t be directing. Commercial director Hideaki Hosno will helm the film with none other than Tadanobu Asano starring as Dekogawa. That'll be the second role as a writer that Asano will take on as he's already set to star as a novelist in a Osamu Dazai adaptation.
Shooting on "Don-ju (Dumb Animal)" will start next month and the film will be released next year.
Kankuro Kudo, screenwriter for “Ping Pong” and “Zebraman” and director of “Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims” an award-winning playwright?! It’s true! In the summer of 2004 Kudo’s play titled “Don-ju (Dumb Animal” was staged at the Parco Theater in Shibuya. It revolved around the disappearance of a novelist named Dekogawa who has just released a successful autobiographical novel about his youth. His editor tracks him as far as a bar frequented by Dekogawa’s childhood friends, friends who are concerned that his book will reveal their secrets. Have they killed Dekogawa? Is another author simply using Dekogawa’s name? Or have the friend’s killed Dekogawa many times before…? This fascinating sounding play went on to tour in Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Kobe and winning the most prominent award in Japanese theatre, the Kunio Kishida Drama Award.
Now, according to Tokyograph Kudo’s play is being adapted to the screen, but he won’t be directing. Commercial director Hideaki Hosno will helm the film with none other than Tadanobu Asano starring as Dekogawa. That'll be the second role as a writer that Asano will take on as he's already set to star as a novelist in a Osamu Dazai adaptation.
Shooting on "Don-ju (Dumb Animal)" will start next month and the film will be released next year.
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