Akira Morii, the Japanese producer behind hit Netflix series Alice In Borderland, has set his next feature as underworld thriller Baka’s Identity (A Fool’s Identity) – marking the first film produced by Tokyo-based production company The Seven.
Directed by Koto Nagata, whose credits include 2021 drama series Lion no Oyatsu (Lion’s Snack), the feature is written by Kosuke Mukai, screenwriter of Kei Ishikawa’s A Man, which premiered at Venice and won eight Japan Academy Awards including best screenplay. A local release is set for October 24, distributed by The Seven and Showgate.
Based on a 2019 novel by Jun Nishio, the story takes place over three days and centres around disadvantaged youth navigating Japan’s underbelly, including a young man who poses as a woman online to exploit lonely men and steal their identities. The Seven describes it as a “chase thriller about three young men trying to escape Japan’s dark underworld”.
The cast is led by Takumi Kitamura, known for his roles in the Tokyo Revengers films and Netflix series YuYu Hakusho, also produced by The Seven. The film also stars Go Ayano, who starred in Netflix’s Tokyo Swindlers and plays the lead in Takashi Miike’s upcoming Sham, and Yuta Hayashi, who starred in Neo Sora’s Happyend, which debuted at Venice last year.
The Seven was established in 2022 with investment from Japan’s TBS Holdings and producer Morii is chief content officer at the production company. The third season of Alice In Borderland, which debuted on Netflix in 2020, is set to launch this September.
Tatsuo Sugai, president of The Seven, said: “Baka’s Identity is the first theatrical film that The Seven has been involved in from planning and production to distribution. This film takes a different approach to the high-end productions that we have been known for, but we are confident that it is a theme that we should be bringing to the world now more than ever.”
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