Satoshi Tsumabuki (28) has landed the starring role in "Akunin," a new film by director Sang-il Lee ("Hula Girls"). The movie is based on a novel by prize-winning author Shuichi Yoshida.

Although Tsumabuki has generally played likable characters in the past, here he has been cast as an antihero. Tsumabuki plays a man named Yuichi, whose dark deeds include killing a woman he meets through a dating website and forcibly taking a woman to a love hotel. However, the story examines the causes behind his character's actions, as well as the painful romance that develops between him and a woman he encounters.

The female lead will be played by Eri Fukatsu (36). She and Tsumabuki previously co-starred in the drama series "Slow Dance."

"Akunin" is scheduled for a fall 2010 release.