It has been revealed that Yuki Uchida, Anne, Joe Odagiri and others will appear in "The Solitary Gourmet" (directed by Yutaka Matsushige, scheduled for release on January 10, 2025), a film adaptation of the popular gourmet drama starring actor Yutaka Matsushige.
"The Solitary Gourmet" is a long-running gourmet drama based on the manga of the same name, written by Masayuki Kusumi and illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi. The story depicts the protagonist Goro Inogashira, an import goods merchant played by Matsushige, stopping by restaurants he visits on business trips and enjoying a meal alone, and has been popular for many years. "The Solitary Gourmet" was produced as a special project to commemorate the 60th anniversary of TV Tokyo's launch, and Matsushige will both direct and write the script. In the film, Goro (played by Matsushige) goes on a journey to "find the ultimate soup," and the story unfolds not only in Japan, but also in Korea and France.
The newly announced cast includes a star-studded cast including Uchida, Isomura Hayato, Murata Takehiro, Shiomi Sansei, Anne and Odagiri. Uchida will play Shiho, a woman living in a community on the Korean island where Goro gets lost, while Isomura will play Nakagawa, a young man who helps Goro in his search for the "ultimate soup." Shiomi will play Matsuo Ichiro, a man living in France who asks Goro to find the ingredients and recipes, saying, "I want to drink the soup I had as a child again," while Anne will play Matsuo Chiaki, his granddaughter who invites Goro to France. Chiaki is also the daughter of Goro's former lover, Sayuki. Odagiri will play the owner of Sanserite, a Chinese ramen shop that appears in the play, while Murata will reprise his role as Takiyama, a fellow chef who appeared in the drama series.
