Sonny Chiba returns as "7-Color Mask"

[Tokyograph News]

Actor Sonny Chiba, who now goes by the stage name JJ Sonny Chiba, is undertaking a revival of the tokusatsu hero "Nanairo Kamen" ("7-Color Mask"). The original show, broadcast from 1959 to 1960 on the network that eventually became TV Asahi, was Chiba's screen debut. He played the title character for the last half of the series, taking over the role from Susumu Namishima.

"Nanairo Kamen" was the creation of writer Kohan Kawauchi, who passed away last month at the age of 88. About a week before his death, he met with Chiba and said he hoped to see the actor take on the role once again. With that encouragement, Chiba has now made up his mind to fulfill Kawauchi's wish, producing and starring in a film version of the series.

The movie starts shooting in July and is projected to be completed by next year, the 50th anniversary of Chiba's career. He expressed his desire to recruit top actors for the film, such as Kamejiro Ichikawa and Masaaki Uchino, both of whom he recently appeared with in the NHK taiga drama "Fuurinkazan."

The film will be privately screened at the "Super Museum - Time Machine" in Otsu, Shiga, a museum of Chiba's prized possessions that opens on May 17. Sankei Sports reports that the collection features 10 billion yen worth of valuables, such as guitars used by Elvis Presley and George Harrison and a gun used in a movie by Steve McQueen.

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