Veteran actor Ken Watanabe is taking on the role of movie director. In an interview with Sports Nippon, he said he is currently working on the script, though the plot details and even the genre are still being kept secret. He commented that he has various acting gigs for the rest of this year, so he won't be able to devote himself to directing until 2009.

While working on the 2006 movie "Letters From Iwo Jima" (directed by Clint Eastwood), Watanabe had mentioned that he had become interested in directing. That year, he also gained experience behind the scenes as the executive producer for "Memories of Tomorrow," which he starred in.

While fans await more details of his directorial debut, some information has been released about his role in Mikael Hafstrom's next movie, "Shanghai." Watanabe just returned from shooting some scenes in London, though filming will continue in various locations at least until August, when the last scene is shot in Thailand.

The movie is set before the attack on Pearl Harbor and stars John Cusack as an American who returns to a Japanese-occupied Shanghai. He discovers that his friend has been killed, and in the course of investigating the death, he uncovers a government conspiracy. It has now been revealed that Watanabe's character is a mysterious spy for the Japanese navy, said to be a villain in the story.