Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe:The origin of the original story "At a Confessional" is adapted into a film, the first Japanese film to be shot entirely on location in Venice

It has been revealed that the film " Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe Rohan　At a Confessional," based on the popular manga series " JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Bizarre Adventure" (Shueisha) by Hirohiko Hirohiko Araki and starring Issei Takahashi , will be released on May 23rd. It will be the first Japanese film to be shot entirely in Venice, Italy, with Takahashi and Marie Iitoyo reprising their roles.

" Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe" is a spin-off of the "JoJo" series, a suspense horror story about a manga artist named Rohan who has the ability to turn people into books and "read" their memories and personalities, encountering strange incidents and mysterious phenomena. The first season of the drama was broadcast in December 2020, followed by the second season in 2021 and the third season in 2022. The first film version, "Rohan Kishibe Goes to the Louvre," was released in 2023, and the latest in the drama series, "Poaching Seashore," was broadcast in May 2024.

The "At a Confessional" episode, which will be made into a movie, is one of the most popular among fans. When Rohan visits a "confessional" in a church in Venice on a research trip, a man appears to make a "confession." Driven by his curiosity and belief that "experience creates reality in a work," Rohan disguises himself as a priest and listens to the man's "confession," and the man begins to talk about a horrific incident that happened 25 years ago... and so the story unfolds.

Following the TV series and film versions, Takahashi will play Rohan and Iitoyo will play his editor, Izumi Kyoka. The film will be directed by Watanabe Kazutaka and written by Kobayashi Yasuko, who also worked on the anime series "JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Adventure."

Filming took place in autumn last year and is currently in editing. Locations included St. Mark's Square, the symbol of Venice, as well as the Church of San Rocco, Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto, and Piazza Santi Giovanni e Paolo, which also appears in the original novel.

◇ Comment from Issei Takahashi

Since I started playing Kishibe Rohan in 2020, there have been four seasons of the TV drama series, and including the last movie, there have been a total of 10 episodes, so it's been five years. As I have commented before, being able to live with one character for such a long time is a valuable experience as an actor, and I feel very fortunate. In addition, this time, we were fortunate enough to film the entire "At a Confessional," the origin of "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe" in the original work, in Venice, Italy, just like in the original work. The timeline of the original world, which is not set in stone, is connected together in the world of Kishibe Rohan, played by me, a living human being.

Now, I have finally reached the origin of the original work. Perhaps this good fortune can only be felt by a living human being, but in addition to the staff I have been working with, the cheerful and sincere wonderful staff from Italy have joined me, and I think we have been able to create a new world of Kishibe Rohan. Last time, Rohan touched his roots, past, and inheritance at the "regret" at the Louvre in Paris, and next he encounters the "good fortune" of the present, which can be two sides of the same coin depending on how you look at it. This is a work that can be enjoyed by both fans of the original work and those who love the world of Rohan that I have played so far, as well as those who will be watching the work from now on. The new cast members are all actors who I am honored to be working with. I hope you will look forward to that as well. I am lucky to have been able to play Rohan so far, and lucky to have met everyone who has been involved. I am looking forward to being able to deliver what can be called the overlap of these two things to everyone who comes to the theater. I am looking forward to it.

◇Comment from Marie Iitoyo

I have been given the opportunity to work on the film "At a Confessional," which is also the origin of the original "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe." Venice, which I visited for filming this time, is a city that is full of history and art. I was able to spend a special time on set, where there was a good sense of tension and excitement. I was able to once again take part in the world of Rohan, and I savored the happy time, while performing with care. I hope you will enjoy it at the cinema.

◇ Comment from Director Kazutaka Watanabe

The first film in the "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe" series is "At a Confessional." Even now that filming has wrapped up, I still can't believe that we were able to shoot this memorable and important episode entirely on location in Venice. It was a mysterious town where darkness and light coexisted. Ruins, cemeteries, churches, aristocratic mansions, maze-like cobblestone alleys. And there, as always, stood Rohan-sensei, dignified... I cherish every place we shot and every moment. I want to keep shooting forever, I don't want this moment to end...

As I continued filming with this thought in mind, I became convinced that "At a Confessional" could not have been created anywhere else but in this town. This story is a story of "curse," but also of "love and determination." Please take a peek into the strange world of weak and comical people who continue to struggle desperately in this decadent and immoral water city.

◇Comment from Yasuko Kobayashi

The original work "At a Confessional" was the first to feature Kishibe Rohan as the main character. The drama has been running for five years, but I think it took a lot of time to reach this first episode. I would like to thank everyone for their support. The setting is Venice. As always, Rohan sees what he wants to see and hears what he wants to hear, and as a result, he is hit by a misfortune called good fortune. I hope you will watch it on the big screen.