Osawa Takao will be starring in the movie adaptation of singer Sada Masashi's novel "Kaze ni tatsu Lion" (The lion that stands in the wind) which is the third Sada-related movie Osawa has appeared in since 2004's "Gege" and 2007's "Bizan". Sada's novel was based on the same-titled song lasting 8 minutes and 50 secs which he released in 1987 about a young doctor Shibata Koichiro (Sada's father's friend) who went to Kenya, Africa to be a volunteer doctor and wrote a letter to his lover who he left behind in Japan where he talks about his worry for Japan as seen from overseas. Osawa was one of those who felt strongly about the song and had asked Sada to consider writing a novel based on the song so as to elaborate on the feelings of the lead character and his life. Due to Osawa's strong enthusiasm for the story, Sada began writing the novel 5 years ago with the intention of letting Osawa play the lead character one day in a movie adaptation. There were many times when Sada wanted to give up on the novel but he managed to persevere after coming into contact with the volunteers he met after the 2011 tsunami crisis. Sada also changed the setting of the story to that of a young man saved by a Japanese doctor in Africa who later becomes a doctor himself and comes to Tohoku to help the victims of the tsunami crisis. After finishing the novel, Sada then sent the manuscript to Osawa first.
Filming preparations are in progress and the movie is due to be shown in 2015.
Source:
Nikkansports
