Filming has begun on what is reportedly the most expensive domestic production for 2008 in Japan. A trilogy of films based on Naoki Urasawa's manga started filming this week. The first two films in the trilogy are being shot first and are expected to wrap-up in June. The first film will release on August 30th. Then the third film will begin production around that release date and end in the fall. The total budget for the production is an estimated 6 billion yen, setting the mark high for production costs in 2008.
Now, about the project. The page over at Wikipedia for this manga is pretty concise so for a full idea of what this production is about follow the link below. Meanwhile this is the synopsis from that page, Growing older is pretty rough and Kenji is finding out just how hard it can be as life starts wearing down on him. On top of trying to make ends meet running a convenience store he has to care for the niece that his missing sister left in his care. Memories of youth make it easier, until those memories come back to haunt him. Kenji and his old friends are slowly being drawn into a mysterious conspiracy that could threaten the world. Who is the mysterious "Friend" and how does he tie into Kenji's youth? Why are there disappearances and deaths tied into Ochanomizu University? Their memories hold the keys to the puzzle, but time and age have clouded their minds. The strange occurrences and the reach of the "Friend" conspiracy grow by the day. It will all culminate on New Year's Eve 2000. Will Kenji and the others be able to put together the puzzle and save the world?
Toshiaki Karasawa [Casshern] will star as the main character Kenji Endo, while Etsushi Toyokawa [Loft] plays Otcho and Takako Tokiwa plays Yukiji. The film will be directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Urasawa was involved in the script for the adaptation of his work. The song that influenced Urasawa to do this project, "20th Century Boy" by the English rock band T. Rex, will be the theme song. And apparently there have already been offers for distro in 34 countries solely due to the popularity of the manga around the world.