He’s played the prime minister, a pilot, and a neuroscientist already, now SMAP’s Takuya Kimura (38) can add ‘historical South Pole Explorer’ to his list of drama roles, reports Sponichi Annex and Sankei Sports.
The Johnny’s star has been announced as the lead in TV company TBS’ 60th anniversary drama series (Nankyoku Tairiku ~Kami no Ryoiki ni Idonda Otoko to Inu no Monogatari~, The South Pole ~the story of the men and dogs who stood up to God’s field~)”, due to air in October 2011. The drama will tell the true story of the Japanese expedition team and their dogs who became the first people (and dogs) in the world to spend a year in Antarctica between 1957 – 1958 when much about the South Pole was still a mystery.
Kimura will play the deputy captain of the expedition team, a geologist who also looked after the team’s sled dogs.
In real life, the men faced temperatures of -50 degrees celcius and blizzards during their year in the South Pole. However, in 1958, the team was forced to abandon their fifteen dogs when they could not return to base. When the team returned a year later, miraculously two dogs had survived. This story has already been made into movies, including the 1983 Japanese film “Nankyoku Monogatari”, and also inspired the 2006 Disney film “Eight Below” starring Paul Walker.
Source – momoedgewood
