It has been revealed that the co-produced film "Candlestick," starring actor Abe Hiroshi, will be released on July 4th. The film is a money suspense thriller starring Abe as a villain who is a former genius white hat hacker. The cast, including Nanao and Kenjiro Tsuda, has also been announced.
The film is based on the novel "Soshikiri: FX Simulation Success Story" by Tetsuhiko Kawamura. Set in six cities across four countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Iran, and Hawaii, the story follows Nohara, a former genius white hat hacker who lost everything, played by Abe, as he plots to deceive the impregnable AI that is the "guardian of the financial market" and make a fortune in the FX market.
Nanao, who will be co-starring with Abe for the first time, will play Kyoko, a FX trader who supports the plan, while Tsuda will play Kyoko's ex-husband, a mathematician named Isao. The cast also includes a diverse cast including Taiwanese actors Alyssa Chia and Lin Bohong, as well as Saher Rose and YOUNG DAIS.
The director is Kota Yonekura, who has directed advertising videos for brands such as GUCCI and UNIQLO, and this is his directorial debut. Filming took place in Japan, Taiwan, and Iran from May to September 2024. Director Yonekura is a junior of Abe's from his days at Men's Non-no, and Abe commented, "I was very intrigued to learn that I would be working with a talented filmmaker like Director Yonekura, who is also from Men's Non-no. My first co-starring with Nanao was also very stimulating, and with each filming session, my expectations grew to see how the story would unfold in the director's depiction of a 'new worldview created by networks.'"
