Live-Action ‘Saint Young Men’ Casts Taiga Nakano and Ryunosuke Kamiki
Taiga Nakano and Ryunosuke Kamiki have been announced as cast members in the upcoming film ‘Saint Young Men,’ directed and written by Yūichi Fukuda, set for a nationwide release on Friday, December 20th.
The film is based on Hikaru Nakamura’s comedy manga ‘Saint Young Men,’ which depicts the everyday life of Jesus, the Son of God, and Buddha, who has attained enlightenment, as they enjoy their time living together in Tokyo. For the live-action adaptation, Nakamura wrote an original episode where uninvited guests disrupt the peaceful lives of Jesus and Buddha, leading to a chaotic battle involving gods, Buddhas, angels, and demons. Following the 2018 drama adaptation produced by Takayuki Yamada, Kenichi Matsuyama reprises his role as Jesus, and Shōta Sometani returns as Buddha.
Nakano and Kamiki will join the cast as part of “Team Heaven,” playing the roles of the Eleven-Faced Kannon and John, respectively. Nakano’s character, the Eleven-Faced Kannon, is portrayed as a popular blogger and YouTuber in the mortal world, always seen wearing a knit cap. Kamiki’s character, John, claims to be Jesus’s most beloved disciple and is a bestselling author in heaven. Along with the casting announcement, visuals of the Eleven-Faced Kannon and John have been unveiled, and Nakano and Kamiki have shared comments, discussing their experiences during filming.
I was thrilled to rejoin Fukuda’s team after a while and went into filming with a lot of excitement! The quirky, surreal humor and the peculiar tension on set made it tough to keep a straight face (haha). The Eleven-Faced Kannon, the character I played, has many different “faces,” and I think I really went all out with the role. I hope you’ll have fun uncovering his secrets! Make sure to come to the theater for some laughs!
Taiga Nakano as the eleven-faced Kannon Comment
I’m Ryunosuke Kamiki, and I had the pleasure of playing the character John! I previously collaborated with Director Fukuda on a non-visual project, so it was wonderful to work with him again on this film. The set was a blast, and I spent the entire time laughing! I hope you’re all excited for it. Thanks for your support!
Ryunosuke Kamiki as John comment
Additionally, behind-the-scenes footage featuring Taiga Nakano and Ryunosuke Kamiki has been released. The video shows the close camaraderie between the two, as well as appearances by Mai Shiraishi, who plays Benzaiten, and Takumi Iwata, who portrays Michael. The footage adds to the anticipation for the film’s release.
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