It was announced on January 26th that actor Fumiya Takahashi will star in the live-action film "Blue Lock" (directed by Yusuke Taki, to be released this summer), based on a popular soccer manga. He will play the protagonist, Yoichi Isagi, an unknown high school forward who has the potential to be a striker. Takahashi, who has no experience playing soccer, apparently underwent soccer training for about a year and a half.
"Blue Lock" is a manga written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, which has been serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha) since 2018. In order to develop a striker who can lead Japan to victory in the FIFA World Cup, the Japan Football Union launches the "Blue Prison" (Blue Lock) project, and 300 high school forwards gathered from all over the country engage in a fierce battle for survival. The film is produced by CREDEUS, the production company behind popular works such as the "Kingdom" series, the "Golden Kamuy" series, and "National Treasure."
Takahashi plays Kiyoshi, who regrets the decision to pass the ball when he had a chance in front of the goal in the final of his high school prefectural tournament, but joins the "Blue Prison" project in order to become the ace striker for the Japanese national team and achieve his dream of winning the World Cup.
Takahashi, who said he was a "huge fan of the original work," commented, "If this work was to be made into a live-action film, I truly wanted to play Yoichi Isagi." He said he received the offer about three years ago, saying, "I'm truly grateful to producer Matsuhashi (Shinzo) for believing in me, even though I had no experience in soccer, and entrusting me with this important role. I was entrusted with the important role of leading the lead role in Blue Lock about three years ago, and soccer has become a part of my daily life ever since."
Regarding filming, he recalled, "With respect for the original work in mind, including the staff and cast, we spent each day filming with great love, passion, and determination for this work, without drawing any lines between what we could and could not do." He spoke of his satisfaction, saying, "I packed everything I could into this work, and that passion and determination have turned into confidence." He called out, "I hope everyone will look forward to the release!"
Producer Matsuhashi Shinzo explained the reason for casting him, saying, "Because it is based on such a popular original work, there is a lot of pressure and, in some cases, the possibility of criticism. But you need the honesty, kindness, inner strength, and leadership skills to overcome that, and to lead people without even realizing it. I thought that these are things that Yoichi Isagi possesses. When I met him, I felt that he had all of those qualities."
"When I heard that he had begun practicing soccer on his own despite his busy schedule, I was impressed by his extraordinary determination. In order to reward his enthusiasm, we arranged for him to undergo serious soccer training for a year and a half and participate in the filming, and he performed admirably in this important role," he praised, adding, "Filming has now finished and we are putting the finishing touches on the film, and I can't wait for everyone to see the finished product."
Starting with the announcement of Takahashi's appearance in the film "Blue Lock," the cast of the main story's "Team Z" will be announced one by one every day for 12 consecutive days until February 6th on the film's official social media accounts.
