Production begins in Japan on Brendan Fraser comedy drama ‘Rental Family’ for Searchlight

Production has begun in Japan on Searchlight Pictures’ comedy drama Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser.  

Takehiro Hira from Shogun and Akira Emoto have joined the cast. 

Beef and Tokyo Vice director Hikari helms the film which also stars previously announced Mari Yamamoto.

Principal photography is scheduled to continue in Japan through May on the story of a lonely US actor in Tokyo who forges unexpected connections after he gets a job playing stand-in roles in people’s lives at a Japanese “rental family” company.

Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen are producing with Hikari, and Shin Yamaguchi. Hikari and Stephen Blahut co-wrote the screenplay.

Executive producers are Blahut, Tomo Koizumi, Jennifer Semler, Oren Moverman, and Leonid Lebedev.

Hira recently wrapped Guy Maddin’s feature Rumors opposite Cate Blanchett, and The Amateur starring Rami Malek and Rachel Brosnahan. His credits include Japanese hit The Floating Castle and Gran Turismo, while he earned a Bafta nomination for the series Giri/Haji.

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