Masahito Soda's ballet manga "Subaru" is being turned into a movie, led by Hong Kong director Chi-Ngai Lee and producer Bill Kong. The main cast was announced at a press conference in Shanghai, revealing that actress Meisa Kuroki has been given the starring role.

The manga tells the story of Subaru Miyamoto (Kuroki), whose twin brother Kazuma suffers from a brain tumor at an early age. Through her visits to the hospital, she meets a small theater manager, Rei (Kaori Momoi), who trains her to become a ballerina.

Kuroki had been trained in dance before, but not ballet. Since June, she has been taking three-hour ballet lessons almost every day. Momoi, on the other hand, studied at the Royal Ballet School in England for three years when she was a child.

Supporting cast members include Miku Sano, Ara, and Yuta Hiraoka.

Filming started on September 11 in Tokyo and moved to Shanghai on October 28. A simultaneous theatrical release in Japan and other major Asian countries is scheduled for 2009.