In the wake of his heartbreaking and poignant performance at the heart of Drive My Car, Hidetoshi Nishijima is hoping to land a slew of casting opportunities. Among the best character work I’ve ever seen from a leading guy, he had a vulnerability and versatility that demonstrated the depths of his abilities. Despite the fact that we’re still waiting to hear about his next acting role, we do now know what he’ll be working on next.
According to Variety, Nishijima has been cast as one of Rashida Jones’ sidekicks in Apple TV+ and A24’s new half-hour, ten-episode dark comedy series Sunny, which will premiere on Apple TV+ on September 14. At the crux of the story, according to Deadline, is Suzie (Jones), an American lady in Kyoto who discovers her husband and kid have vanished in a strange plane disaster. Sunny, a newly-minted household robot created by Suzie’s husband’s electronics firm, serves as a “consolation” for Suzie.
As much as Suzie resents Sunny for attempting to fill the void left by her husband and son’s disappearance, she and her mechanical helper quickly build an unexpected bond as they uncover some terrible facts about what happened to Suzie’s family in the first place. Sunny: A perilous world opens up for Suzie, and it’s possible that the young woman will never be able to free herself from it. Masa Sakamoto, Suzie’s missing husband and a brilliant roboticist, will be played by Nishijima. They are the only actors currently connected to the series, but we can anticipate the cast to expand once filming begins in Japan.
It’s a new streaming series between the indie darling studio and the upstart streaming service, Sunny, based on Colin O’Sullivan’s 2018 novel The Dark Manual, which will be adapted and directed by Lucy Tcherniak (The End of the F**king World), who also executive produces alongside Jones, Ravi Nandan, and Jess Lubben. Prior to Mr Corman, they produced Joseph Gordon-Mr. Levitt’s Corman, as well as Boy State, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and most recently The Sky is Everywhere. Sunny is perhaps one of the more high-profile streaming episodes we’ve gotten from this collaborative venture as far as shows go.
It’s an exciting project that’s well worth following, especially now that it’s being led by such renowned names. In addition, Jones will partner with Apple TV+ on Wool, a series based on Hugh C. Howey’s trilogy of world-building novels. Aside from Kamen Rider Black Sun, Nishijima will appear on Apple TV+ in the near future. Just a few of his recent roles are those in Shin Ultraman, 99.9 Criminal Lawyer: The Movie, and What Do You Eat for Dinner?
Despite the fact that Nishjima has over 100 credits to his name, one hopes that Sunny will continue to develop in the United States as a well-known and hard-working Japanese actor. Unfortunately, Ninijima’s performance in Drive My Car was not included in the four Oscar nominations, which included Best International Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director. His moving and multi-layered performance was crucial to the film’s immersive success, so it is a great loss that his work was overlooked. In spite of this, we can only look forward to more greatness from this experienced performer.