Yuko Takeuchi and Masato Sakai star in yet another Kotaro Isaka screen adaptation

by Chris MaGee

I had spoken in a post in February about how it seemed that author Kotaru Isaka was fast becoming the hottest source for Japanese film adaptations over the past few years. With the recently announced "Rush Life" (and/ or "Lush Life" depending on how you read the katakana title) seven of the award-winning 37-year-old author's novels have made there way to the big screen. Well, that's soon going to be eight.

According to a report posted at Tokyograph yesterday Yoshihiro Nakamura, who previously directed the two Isaka screen adaptations, 2007's "The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God" and this year's "Fish Story", will be going for a hat trick by helming the film adaptation of his 300,000 plus bestseller from 2007, "Golden Slumbers". The book, which takes it's name from the 1969 song by The Beatles, follows a man who has been framed for the assassination of the Japanese Prime Minister and who must rely on a former lover to help him evade capture. Masato Sakai (above right) will play the lead character while Yuko Takeuchi (above left) will portray the man's ex. Both starred opposite each other in Yoshihiro Nakamura's "The Triumphant Return of General Rouge" earlier this year.

"Golden Slumbers" is set to start shooting next month with a Japanese theatrical release set for 2010.