New Live-Action Lupin III Film's Caper Story Outlined

The Oricon Style website outlined the story for the new live-action film of Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga on Wednesday. According to the website, the movie incorporates an original story, but will still be faithful to the manga.

The story will follow Lupin and his partners in crime before they became a gang. They will infiltrate the high security of the Ark of Navarone, a gigantic fortress-like safe, to lay claim to the Crimson Heart of Cleopatra within. It is said that whoever possesses this treasure shall "unite the world."

The official character visuals also debuted on Wednesday. The movie stars (from left to right in the images above) Tadanobu Asano as Detective Kōichi Zenigata, Gou Ayano as Goemon Ishikawa, Shun Oguri as Lupin, Tetsuji Tamayama as Daisuke Jigen, and Meisa Kuroki as Fujiko Mine. An original character, Lupin's nemesis Michael Lee, will be played by Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden) of the popular Taiwanese group F4. Other cast members include South Korean actor Kim Joon (South Korean Hana Yori Dango) and Thai actor Thanayong Wongtrakul (The Man from Nowhere).

Oguri underwent 10 months of action training with sticks and lost eight kilograms (about 18 pounds) for the role. He wields Lupin III's favorite Walter P38, while Tamayama bears the familiar Smith & Wesson Model 19 Combat Magnum as Jigen. Kuroki performed her own wire action stunts as Fujiko.

The first live-action adaptation of Lupin III in four decades will open on August 30. The movie began filming on October 3 and finished principal photography on December 26. The production shot in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines.

The film is now in the middle of the final steps of editing, and the staff aims to complete post production and the film itself at the end of June. Ryuhei Kitamura (Azumi) is directing the film, and Mataichirō Yamamoto wrote the script.