"Kurobe no Taiyou," a 1968 film directed by Kei Kumai that starred Yujiro Ishihara and Toshiro Mifune, is being adapted as a stage play. The movie has not been seen by the public in 40 years, as Ishihara requested that it never be broadcast on television or released on video or DVD.

The original movie was one of the biggest successes of its time. The story recounted the construction of the largest dam in Japan, the Kurobe dam in the Toyama Prefecture. The movie's climax was a flood scene which resulted in Ishihara fracturing a thumb during filming. For the stage version, a 20,000-liter water tank is being prepared to reenact the scene.

Shido Nakamura is replacing Ishihara as the star in the production, which will be the first play handled by film director Kiyoshi Sasabe. Mifune's successor has not yet been cast.

The play will open at the Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka on October 5.