Maki Horikita to star in film adaptation of “Byakuyako”

By kevin on April 27, 2010 at 7:33pm EDT

Author Keigo Higashino’s mystery novels have already inspired several major films, and now another is being added to the list. Today it was announced that Maki Horikita will be starring in the film adaptation of his novel Byakuyako (Into the White Night).

The story was originally serialized in the Shueisha literary magazine Shousetsu Subaru for two years from 1997. In 1999, it was released as a compiled novel which went on to sell 1.8 million copies. In 2006, TBS aired an 11-episode drama adapted from the novel which starred Haruka Ayase and Takayuki Yamada.

The two main characters in the story are a boy named Ryoji Kirihara and a girl named Yukiho Karasawa who are each other’s first love. As a kid, Ryoji murdered his father when he discovered he was a pervert who did terrible things to Yukiho. As it turns out, Yukiho’s mother was also responsible. Driven by greed, she forced her own daughter into the clutches of Ryoji’s father. Yukiho, in turn, kills her mother and stages it as a suicide. Having both murdered a parent to protect the other, Ryoji and Yukiho must stick together until the statute of limitations runs out on their crimes, and they’re each willing to take any extreme measures to make sure they never get caught.

Horikita, who will be taking over the Yukiho role from Ayase, has accumulated a large fanbase over her career. Until now, she’s typically played innocent high school girls and has benefited from her casual acting style. This time around, she’ll be challenged with playing the role of a woman whose humanity has been completely warped by a traumatic childhood.

The film is slated for release in early spring 2011. Neither the director or any other casting decisions have been announced yet. More than likely, the actor playing Ryoji will be the next major announcement.

Source: Cinema Today