Daniel Radcliffe, best known for the Harry Potter films, will play Tokyo-based reporter Jake Adelstein in the adaptation of his 2009 best seller, Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan.
Jake Adelstein started working for the Yomiuri Shimbun, the largest newspaper in the world (by circulation), when he was 24. He was the first westerner in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Club. He covered the crime beat, criminal life, and investigated the Yakuza, the Japanese organized crime syndicate similar to the mafia. His efforts came at a high price, including death threats to his family, as he unearthed money laundering and human trafficking crimes. He had personal confrontations with Yakuza kingpin Tadamasa Goto (The Japanese John Gotti) on multiple occasions.
The thriller script is co-penned by Adelstein and renowned playwright JT Rogers (The Overwhelming, Blood and Gifts, Great Game: Afghanistan, for which he won the 2009 Olivier Award), a childhood friend of Adelstein’s. Speaking with The Japan Times (Adelstein is still a contributor) he said, “It’s the story of my life and JT is an old friend, I felt confident he would not take liberties. I think it will be an accurate portrayal of organized crime in Japan, with a strong emphasis on the many people and police that live by a strong sense of honor.”
Tokyo Vice will be directed by Anthony Mandler, known for his commercials and music videos, most notably for Jay Z, Rihanna, and Maroon 5. In 2009 he stepped in for director Gary Gray (Italian Job) to helm the production of The Last Days of American Crime.
Le Gribisi Productions, John Lesher and Adam Kassam are producing .
Tokyo Vice is scheduled to be released in 2014.
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