On July 9th, it was announced that actor Sato Koichi is going to star in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Miyamoto Teru's novel 'Sougen no Isu'.

The filming for the movie, directed by Narushima Izuru ('Youkame no Semi', 'Kokou no Mesu'), already began on June 30th and is scheduled to last until mid-September. Sato's supporting cast includes Nishimura Masahiko and Kichise Michiko. The biggest highlight, however, will be the setting of the filming. Until August 3rd, the crew will be filming in Hunza, its capital Karimabad (Baltit), the Skardu District and other areas in northern Pakistan. It's the first time for any film crew in this world to use this landscape as the backdrop for a movie.

Writer Miyamoto lost his home during the Great Kobe Earthquake in 1995 and with the experience as a start, he decided to travel along the Silk Road half a year. His journey lasted 40 days, during which he accumulated a total of 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles). Lonely, with no possessions, and vast land in front of him, he used this journey to think about the way of life and the characters of people. He includes those thoughts in his novel 'Sougen no Isu', which was released in 1999.

The story revolves around the friendship, between 'Touma Kentarou', the vice-director of a camera maker, and one of his regular customers, the manager of 'Camera no Togashi'. One day, Touma and Togashi discover a picture that shows nothing but a chair (isu) and for some reason they aren't able to get it out of their heads anymore. Together with the four-year-old 'Keisuke', who was abused by his mother and is now under the care of Touma and the owner of an antique shop, with whom Touma is secretly in love with. Together they see 'Tougenkyou' (as in some kind of utopia, like 'Arcadia' or 'Shangri-La') in the picture, and�decide to trace the picture to its source in Hunza and discover their own ideal future by finding 'the last possible utopia on earth'.

The last time Miyamoto saw one of his novels getting adapted into a movie was 16 years ago. The original story of 'Sougen no Isu' begins in Osaka, but the setting in the movie is changed to Tokyo after the Great Tohoku Earthquake instead. Moreover, Miyamoto insisted that a possible adaptation had to be filmed in Hunza and nowhere else. He commented, "I always thought that it would be impossible for a Japanese movie company to film there."

Now that the chance is actually here and that they get to film it in Hunza, it made him more than happy. He continued, "I want to show every Japanese the wonder that is Hunza. This is why even I myself cannot wait to see this drama of men and women unfold before my eyes."

Sato already appeared in three of Miyamoto's works, including two movies and one TV drama, and therefore knows exactly what he has to focus on for a truthful adaptation. Moreover, he couldn't think of a better acting partner than Nishimura. He said, "Nishimura and I are of the same age and looking at him is like looking into a mirror. Since this project allows us to create the drama together, it makes me feel very nostalgic about the time when I began in this industry."

Nishimura commented, "I thought we'd be able to live a bit more at ease once we hit fifty, but that isn't the case at all. This movie gives me the wonderful feeling that I am really a part of its creation process."

Kichise commented, "I'm feeling a bit pressured being surround by such a great director and cast, but I can't wait to film in Hunza, since it's a place where you usually can't get to that easily yourself."

'Sougen no Isu' is scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide in spring 2013.

Source: eiga.com