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19th Detective Conan Film Casts Former Kara Idol Kang Jiyoung

The official website for the 19th Detective Conan film, Detective Conan: Gōka no Himawari (Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno), announced on Monday that the film has cast Kang Jiyoung, a former member of South Korean pop girl group KARA. She will play a guide in an art museum, the setting of the film.

Kang Jiyoung, a huge Detective Conan fan, had informed the production of her desire to participate in the film when it was already close to completion, and the production hurriedly created a role for her to play.

The film's story centers on Conan as he tries to track down Kaito Kid, who supposedly steals a replica of one of Van Gogh's Sunflowers paintings during an auction. (A real version of the painting depicted was owned by a Japanese collector, until it was destroyed during World War II. A version of the painting depicted in the movie was recently recreated.) The tagline on the announcement image for the film, which was drawn by original manga creator Gōshō Aoyama, reads "You will solve this? This art..."

Kang Jiyoung has previously been cast in the Assassination Classroom live-action film as Irina Jelavic, and in the live-action Jigoku Sensei Nube film as Yukime.

Detective Conan: Gōka no Himawari will open in Japan on April 18, and will feature Kaito Kid, as well as a theme song from the rock band Porno Graffitti.

Kobun Shizuno is returning to direct the film, and Takeharu Sakurai is writing the script. Katsuo Ono is again to composing the music. Minami Takayama is reprising her role as Conan Edogawa with Wakana Yamazaki as Ran Mōri, Rikiya Koyama as Kogorō Mōri, and Kappei Yamaguchi as Kaito Kuroba/Kaitō Kid.

Source: Daily Sports Online via Hachima Kikō