From Harry to hack: Daniel Radcliffe to play American journalist in film adaptation of Tokyo Vice

Daniel Radcliffe has signed to play an American journalist working in Japan in the film Tokyo Vice.

The film, based on a true story, follows the American crime reporter Jake Adelstein during his career on the Tokyo newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun as he uncovers the dealings of the yakuza mafia.

Tokyo Vice is based on the book written by Adelstein, who said that he thinks Radcliffe will be well-suited to the role.

“Daniel Radcliffe is 24, about the same age I was when I became a cub reporter. I think he’s really maturing as an actor and will be great for the role,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

The role is Radcliffe’s latest departure from Harry Potter, after starring as Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings, Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black and the young doctor in Sky Atlantic’s A Young Doctor’s Notebook.

Adelstein, who claims to be the first American citizen to have worked on a Japanese language newspaper, has been working closely on the screenplay with director Anthony Mandler and writer JT Rogers, who he went to school with.

“I had a number of people interested in adaption the book, but I was concerned what would happen if I didn’t have some say in what happened to the screenplay. I would have issues if a lot of liberties were taken, as this is the story of my life,” he said.