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Tokyo Vice Live-Action Series Premieres on HBO Max on April 7
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The staff for the live-action adaptation of American reporter Jake Adelstein's Tokyo Vice book revealed on Monday that the series will premiere on HBO Max on April 7 with three episodes. The service will then add two new episodes every Thursday until the series finale streams on April 28. The show will also premiere on Japan's WOWOW service on April 24.
Ansel Elgort (upper left in image above) plays protagonist and reporter Jake. Ken Watanabe (top row center) plays experienced cop Katagiri. Rinko Kikuchi (upper right) plays Jake's senior reporter Eimi Maruyama. Hideaki Ito (lower left) plays corrupt cop Miyamoto. Show Kasamatsu (bottom row center) plays Chihara-kai yakuza group member Satō. Tomohisa Yamashita (bottom right) plays charismatic host Akira.
Other cast members include Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, Shun Sugata, Ayumi Tanida, Masato Hagiwara, Kōsuke Toyohara, Ayumi Itō, Makiko Watanabe, Yuka Itaya, and Miyuki Matsuda.
The project was initially planned as a film, with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films) initially starring as Adelstein. The project is now a 10-episode television series, with Michael Mann directing. J.T. Rogers is credited as creator and writer. WOWOW is co-producing the series.
Adelstein wrote about crime and the yakuza for the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. Adelstein became entangled with the yakuza because of his work and specifically with yakuza boss Tadamasa Goto, and wrote about his experiences in Tokyo Vice.
Sources: Deadline (Alexandra Del Rosario), Cinema Today
