Leading Japanese star Kaku Kento confirmed his starring role in ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” Amazon MGM Studios’ live-action adaptation of the hit Sega video game. Kaku joined co-lead Takeuchi Ryoma at the San Diego Comic-Con for a reveal of the upcoming series’ teaser trailer.
The six-part crime-suspense-action series is directed by Take Masaharu (“100 Yen Love”) and Takimoto Kengo (“Kamen Teacher”). The screenplay and story are by Sean Crouch and Yugo Nakamura, with a Japanese screenplay by Yoshida Yasuhiro and Yamada Kana.
As in the game, which has been known as “Yakuza” and “Like a Dragon” in different markets and at differnt times, the series’ action is set in the fictional entertainment district of Kamurochō,. The area was modelled by the game designers on Kabukichō, the violent ward in Tokyo’s Shinjuku.
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The stories of “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” depict the lives of fierce yet passionate gangsters and people living in Kamurochō, across two time periods, 1995 and 2005. In particular, it follows the life, childhood friends and the repercussions of the decisions of a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity.
Kaku, who has credits in “House of Ninjas” “Tokyo MER” and movie “AI Amok,” portrays Akira Nishikiyama, aka Nishiki, in the series. His character is closely connected with that of Takeuchi, who has multiple credits in the “Kamen Rider” titles.
At the Comic-Con panel the two stars showed the official teaser trailer and joined James Farrell, head of international originals at Amazon MGM Studios, and the show’s executive producer Erik Barmack, to discuss their different creative roles.
The first three episodes of “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” will debut on Prime Video from Oct. 24.
