Producer Kensuke Zushi Explains Why BE:FIRST's JUNON Was Cast in RYUJI
Producer Kensuke Zushi gave his reason for casting JUNON of BE:FIRST in RYUJI, the new adaptation of the 1983 film, now in theaters.
1 source 3h ago
Reporting from 1 source: Cinema Today.
Why it matters
Zushi's comments put the casting down to a deliberate mix of music and character fit, which is the kind of reasoning that decides how a 1980s-set yakuza remake is sold to an audience that knows the original's history.
Key Facts
- Producer Kensuke Zushi explained why JUNON of BE:FIRST was cast in RYUJI.
- JUNON plays Hiroshi, a younger brother figure to Yuya Yagira's Ryuji.
- Zushi said he wanted to bring a musical element into the film through the casting.
- JUNON handles the theme song "It's not a bad life" with BE:FIRST and the insert song "Melody" as a solo artist.
- Costume designer Isao Tsuge kept Hiroshi's clothing restrained in color and shape.
Zushi said he wanted a musical element in the work and saw JUNON as right for Hiroshi, a yakuza who hides strong feelings behind stillness. JUNON plays a younger brother figure to Yuya Yagira's Ryuji and handles the theme song and a solo insert song.
JUNON's role is Hiroshi, one of the younger brother figures in Ryuji's "other family," a yakuza who chases after his big brother and rises through the ranks. Zushi said he wanted to bring a musical element into the film through the casting, and that Hiroshi's outward stillness, with strong feelings underneath, made JUNON the right choice.
Zushi also said JUNON's responsiveness on set did not read like a second film, and that his willingness to work made him well liked by the cast and crew. Costume designer Isao Tsuge kept Hiroshi's clothing restrained in color and shape, which Tsuge said is where the character's scariness sits.
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Sources
- Cinema Today 『RYUJI 竜二』BE:FIRST・JUNON起用の理由 プロデューサーが明かす