Kou Shibasaki to become the shogun in the upcoming "Ōoku: The Inner Chamber"

by Chris MaGee

Usually when word comes out about an upcoming Japanese film production, post-production, trailers, stills, etc. follow very shortly afterward. Unlike Hollywood production schedules many Japanese films get shot edited and released fairly quickly, but I guess this isn't the case with Asmik Ace's and Fuminori Kaneko's live-action adaptation of Fumi Yoshinaga's alternate-history jidai-geki manga "Ōoku: The Inner Chamber". It was way back in April of last year that we originally reported on this production, but it's only now, eight months later, that we're hearing about casting for this tale of an alternate 18th-century Japan in which a plague has reduced men to only a fraction of the population and a matriarch heads up the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Tokyograph is reporting that Kou Shibasaki (above left) will be portraying the fictional Tokugawa Yoshimune, shogun ruler of Japan, while Kazunari Ninomiya, member of Japanese pop group Arashi, will be playing one of her many male concubines. The folks at Asmik Ace are hoping that this historical turn around will end up being the start of a series of films, at least that's what they're banking on. This first film in this potential "Ōoku: The Inner Chamber" series is being budgeted at ¥1 billion.

With production now under way Asmik Ace is aiming at having "Ōoku: The Inner Chamber" in Japanese theatres by October 1st. Thanks to Sankei Sports for the above images.