Oscar-nominated actorKen Watanabe(The Last Samurai) has signed on to joinAnsel Elgortin the HBO Max crime seriesTokyo Vice, which he’ll also executive produce, Collider has learned.
Based onJake Adelstein’s first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat,Tokyo Vicefollows Jake’s daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo, where nothing, and no one, is truly what or who they seem.
Watanabe will play Hiroto Katagiri, a detective in the organized crime division of the Tokyo Police Department who serves as a father-figure to Jake throughout the series and helps guide him along the thin, often precarious line between cops and the world of organized crime.
Tokyo Vicewas a straight-to-series pick-up for HBO Max, and the show hails from Tony Award-winning playwrightJ.T. Rogers(Oslo) as well as Endeavor Content, which will also be handling international sales. In addition to Elgort, Watanabe and Rogers, executive producers includeJohn Lesher,Emily Gerson SainesandShang-ChidirectorDestin Daniel Cretton.
Tokyo Viceis a big deal for Watanabe, as it marks his first foray behind the camera as an EP. I’m personally looking forward to watching this series, as I’ve been eager to see the baby-faced Elgort get his hands dirty and do something a bit grittier, kind of like howMiles Tellerjust starred in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Amazon seriesToo Old to Die Young. Tokyo is a fascinating setting for a crime series and I wouldn’t be surprised if this show became one of HBO Max’s most buzzworthy offerings.
Watanabe earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting turn oppositeTom CruiseinThe Last Samurai. He has starred in several blockbusters, such as Inception, the two most recentGodzillamovies, andDetective Pikachu. He also lent his voice toWes Anderson’sIsle of DogsandTransformers: The Last Knight. Watanabe is represented by WME and Activist Artists Management.
