Takuya Kimura and Masami Nagasawa are set to share the screen together for the first time in Masquerade Hotel (マスカレード‧ホテル), the film adaptation of the mystery novel by Keigo Higashino.

Published in 2011, the novel follows a detective (played by Kimura) who has been sent to go undercover in a luxury hotel to stop a serial murderer. Nagasawa plays a front desk agent at the hotel who assists in the investigation.

The screenplay for the film adaptation was written by Michitaka Okada (Nobunaga Concerto 信長協奏曲, Liar Game: Reborn ライアーゲーム –再生–), and the film will be directed by Masayuki Suzuki, who directed Kimura in both seasons of television series Hero and its two film adaptations.

The original novel has spawned two sequels. Published in 2014, Masquerade Eve (マスカレード‧イブ) is a series of short stories that take place before the events of Hotel. The series’ third book, Masquerade Night (マスカレード‧ナイト), was just published last month.

Kimura will next be seen as a prosecutor in Masato Harada’s Criminal for the Prosecution (検察側の罪人), and Nagasawa will next be seen in mystery drama 嘘を愛する女 (Uso wo Aisuru Onna), set for theatrical release in January.

Toho will handle local distribution for Masquerade Hotel. It is set for release some time in 2019.