Filming is currently underway in Japan on a brand new Searchlight Pictures film called “Rental Family.” The film is about a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company. This leads him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.

The new film is going to be directed by Hikari, who has previously worked on the hit Netflix series, “Beef”, and it will also star Brendan Fraser and Mari Yamamoto.

Today, Deadline has revealed that Takehiro Hira and Akira Emoto have joined the movie’s cast. Takehiro Hira has previously starred in the FX series “Shōgun”, along with “Gran Turismo”, “G.I. Joe’s Snake Eyes”, and “Monarch”. He will also star in the upcoming 20th Century Studios film, “The Amateur”.

Akira Emoto has starred in “Dr. Akagi”, “A Man”, and “They Say Nothing Stays the Same”.

No details have been revealed about what role Takehiro or Akira will play in the film or when it will be released.  Hikari has been developing the Film since 2019. She has also co-written it with Stephen Blahut, who is an executive producer on the project, along with Tomo Koizumi.

Hikari said in a statement about the casting:

“It’s an absolute dream to bring Rental Family to the world. I am truly so thankful for my collaboration with my partners at Searchlight and Sight Unseen and for their never-ending support, our wonderful cast and crew for their hard work and dedication putting this film together, and foremost, the multi-talented, incredibly caring and soulful Brendan Fraser for willfulness to be our hero on this journey.”

Matthew Greenfield, President of Searchlight Pictures added:

“This is such an exciting project for us, and one that we know will resonate widely. With Hikari, we’ve assembled the perfect cast and production team, and we cannot wait for everyone to see this film.”

“Rental Family” will be produced by Shin Yamaguchi, Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen Productions. SVP of Production Taylor Friedman and Manager of Creative Affairs Daniel Yu will oversee the project for Searchlight Pictures.

What do you think of Brendan Fraser joining the cast of “Rental Family”?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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