Tatsuya Fujiwara to star in a live-action adaptation of Ultimate Survivor Kaji?

by Chris MaGee

Take a look at that headline and pay special attention to the question mark at the end. Last night the ever vigilant folks at Anime News Network broke the news that "Battle Royale" and "Death Note" star Tatsuya Fujiwara would be starring in a live-action adaptation of Nobuyuki Fukumoto's manga "Ultimate Survivor Kaji". For those of you unfamiliar with the manga (and I'm with you on this) the story follows Itou Kaiji (to be played by Fujiwara), a gambler and petty thief who is persuaded to board a gambling cruise in order to pay down a huge debt, but of course mayhem breaks out. Apparently an open casting call for male extras between the ages of 20 and 40 popped up on a message board for the Watarase Film Commission which said that they would be used in a "rock-paper-scissors" scene to be shot aboard the gambling boat Espoir, but the posting was quickly taken down. So you'll understand why I said to pay special attention to that question mark in the headline. We'll keep our eyes open for more news on this one.