Japanese director Hikari to helm comedy-drama movie ‘Rental Family’

Hikari
| Photo Credit: Hikari Films

Japanese filmmaker Hikari will direct a new comedy-drama film for Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures.

According to Variety, the studio has picked up the rights to the project, titled Rental Family, which has a script by Hikari and Stephen Blahut.

Hikari, most recently directed three episodes of Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Beef, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, will also produce the project.

Rental Family follows a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.

The project will be produced by Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen as well as Shin Yamaguchi. Rental Family will soon start principal photography in Japan.