Fuji TV to air "SP" drama special before release of "SP: Kakumei-hen"
Wed, February 9, 2011 (7:57pm EST)
The movie "SP: Kakumei-hen" is scheduled for theatrical release on March 12, but Fuji TV has announced that it will broadcast a related drama special one week earlier, on March 5. The 2-hour special, which appears to be titled "SP: Kakumei Zenjitsu," will revolve around the day before the incident that takes place in the movie.
Starring V6 member Junichi Okada (30), "SP" started out as a drama series about a team of police bodyguards ("security police") in 2007-2008. Despite its late night time slot (11:00pm), the show averaged 15.3% ratings with a peak of 18.9%. The show was also a big break for actress Yoko Maki (28), who played the only female on the team.
The first movie, "SP: Yabou-hen," opened in October of last year. It went on to earn 3.63 billion yen, making it the 9th highest grossing domestic film of 2010. For the second movie, Fuji TV hopes to boost it even higher with a couple of broadcasts just before release.
First, Fuji TV will air a special program on March 4, titled "SP: Encore Tokubetsu-hen." Part of it will be a digest of the "SP" drama series, while the rest will be behind-the-scenes footage such as Okada visiting a Hollywood studio for post-production on the movies.
Then on March 5, the new "SP: Kakumei Zenjitsu" special will air. It will serve as a prologue, focusing on the events just before the big incident that occurs in the movie. It is also said that one of the highlights of the special will be a glimpse of the private lives of the show's characters, who have always been seen on the job up until now.
Source: Sankei Sports