A rather unique duo was formed in the music industry today, as actress Fukatsu Eri and actor Nishida Toshiyuki announced that they would be singing the theme song for their upcoming movie, "Suteki na Kanashibari".

Directed by Mitani Koki, the movie has been in the works for over 10 years; it's said to have an impressive ensemble of well-known actors and actresses, not counting the various cameo appearances by even more established actors.

In the movie, Fukatsu plays a third-rate attorney called 'Emi', and actor Abe Hiroshi will play the boss of her law firm. Actress Takeuchi Yuko will play a double-role, the wife of a murdered capitalist and her twin sister. Emi is defending the accused murderer, but the only witness to confirm his alibi is a 421-year-old ghost named 'Sarashina Rokubee' (Nishida). The main cast will also include Asano Tadanobu, Nakai Kiichi, and SMAP's Kusanagi Tsuyoshi.

Fukatsu and Nishida alone would be enough to make it one of the most interesting musical collaborations of 2011, but it gets even better with the participation of fellow actors Nakai, Abe, Kobayashi Takashi, and KAN, who call themselves the "Hotei Boys" ("Courtroom Boys"); the "Hotei Boys" will sing as part of the chorus.

The song called "ONCE IN A BLUE MOON" (the English title of the movie) was composed by director Mitani himself, and was recorded in the studio last August. It's a ballad that describes the relationship between the lawyer and the ghost. Of course, it will find its way onto the official soundtrack, but producers are also thinking about releasing the song as a single.

Fukatsu's career already included a venture into the music industry, but her most recent single was released over 19 years ago.

Feeling very exciting about the song, director Mitani expressed his ambitions with, "I hope we can release it as a single and have it performed at Kohaku Uta Gassen this year."

In the movie, we can look forward to special appearances by actors like Karasawa Toshiaki, Shinohara Ryoko, Sato Koichi, Fukada Kyoko, Sato Koichi, and many more.

"Suteki na Kanashibari" will open in Japan on October 29th. A first trailer with a preview of the song will screen in cinemas starting from July 16th.

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Source + Image: Sanspo, Cinema Today