It has been revealed that actor Hiroshi Abe will be starring in the TBS Sunday Theatre "Caster" (Sundays at 9pm) which will start airing in April. Set in a TV news program, the socially conscious entertainment follows the pursuit of truths buried in the dark and punishes evil. This will be Abe's sixth time starring in a Sunday Theatre production, and his first in three years. Also appearing will be actor Mei Nagano, who will be co-starring for the first time, and Michieda Shunsuke of "Naniwa Danshi".
Abe plays Shindo Soichi, a man who believes that "it is the truth that moves the world!" He works as a social affairs reporter and newscaster at a public broadcasting station, but is poached by the president of commercial television station JBN to become the main newscaster of "Newsgate," a news program that is struggling with low ratings. Shindo, who boasts that his mission is to correct the lukewarm reporting system and that he has come to correct the program, will use any means to "communicate the truth," conducting interviews and investigations according to his own rules and ignoring existing rules. He draws in those around him with his overwhelming presence.
Nagano plays Sakikubo Hana, who, like Shindo, was selected as the general director of "Newsgate" to give the show a boost. She was a hit maker who was active in variety shows and even won the Chairman's Award, but there seems to be some reason why she accepted the reluctant transfer to news.
Michieda plays Yusuke Motohashi, an assistant director (AD) in his second year at the company who admires Shindo. He studied journalism at a university in the United States with the aim of becoming a journalist, and joined JBN with the hope of becoming a reporter, but he ends up working with Shindo and Sakikubo as an AD.
◇Comment from Hiroshi Abe
In this work, I play the man who pursues the truth with all my heart and soul, and I think that every time I watch it, I will think about where justice ends and evil begins. I think that you will also be able to feel the responsibility and conflict of being a newscaster, and the humanity behind it. There are a series of tense scenes, so please enjoy it until the end.
This is my first time acting with Nagano-san and Michieda-san, but they are both wonderful actors and energetic, so I will study them and do my best not to lose to them. I would like to cooperate with everyone and make it a program worth watching, so please look forward to the broadcast in April. Thank you.
◇ Comment from Mei Nagano
I've always wanted to work with Abe-san, so it's been fun and exciting to be able to work with him this time. This is my first time acting with Michieda-kun, but we're close in age, so I'm working hard to create a sense of a mismatched pair, including the relationship between Hana, who I play, and Motohashi, who Michieda plays. I hope everyone will look forward to that combination.
I think it's an interesting and worthwhile drama because the parts where each person's justice and thoughts intersect are interesting. As the general director, I'm running around a lot, so I hope you'll watch it with a sense of suspense and excitement as if you're running around with me.
◇Comment from Shunsuke Michieda
I'm very grateful to be able to act with such great people as Abe-san and Nagano-san, and I spend every day hanging on to them. They talk a lot on set, so I forget about time and talk too much (laughs), but I hope to get closer to them through this shoot. I hope the passion of the characters is conveyed to everyone through the screen, and I think the behind-the-scenes of a news report scene, which is something you don't often get to see, is also a point of interest. I hope you'll look forward to watching "Caster" every Sunday night.
◇Comment from Producer Hidenori Iyoda
I'm excited to see how Shindo, played by Hiroshi Abe, who plays the news anchor, will punish the bad guys. I'm also excited to see how Hana, played by Mei Nagano, who is trying to convey a certain message despite being pushed around by Abe, will stand up to the headwinds of the news world. And I'm excited to see how Motohashi, an AD played by Michieda Shunsuke, who has high aspirations and studied journalism abroad, will find his own path to follow, caught between his ideals and reality.
When I was a student and working part-time at TBS, I had the opportunity to talk to a senior journalist. This person was working on a news program, staying overnight for several days to respond to a certain incident, and when I asked him various questions, he passionately taught me about the importance and importance of "telling the truth." I remember vividly being overwhelmed by the passion of this senior journalist, even though I was probably sleepy after staying up all night.
As the planning for this drama progressed, I had the opportunity to interview people who are actually involved in the media, and once again, I keenly felt the importance of reporting, as well as its difficulties. In this fictional drama, various fictional characters appear and incidents occur, but I would like to cherish the spirit that I have learned from those involved in the media and do my best to produce the drama.
When I was thinking about what kind of role Abe-san would be interesting to play, I suddenly thought of a newscaster, and after consulting with Abe-san, we came up with this project. To be honest, I never expected Abe-san to play the role of newscaster, so I'm very excited now.
Furthermore, while I was thinking about the actors who would work with Abe, I had a miraculous encounter. I met Nagano at an awards ceremony and I had always wanted to work with him on a film, so I'm very happy that my wish has finally come true.
When Michieda-san saw the Naniwa Danshi concert, he was moved by the sparkling aura that permeated every corner of the venue, and he wanted to be there with them. He still remembers that overwhelming aura as if it were yesterday.
I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of acting these three will do with the news as the stage. I hope you all look forward to it too.
