Get Ready for a Wild Ride: Joe Odagiri’s Highly-Anticipated Film ‘The Oliver Dog, (Gosh!!) This Guy Movie’ Hits Theaters Fall 2025

“The Oliver the Dog, (Gosh!!) This Guy Movie,” which Joe Odagiri wrote, directed, edited, and stars in, is scheduled for theatrical release in the fall of 2025.

This is the movie version of the TV drama “Oliver the Dog, (Gosh!!) This Guy” that was broadcast on NHK in 2021. The TV drama version is an original project that Odagiri has been working on, and Odagiri himself is in charge of writing, directing, and editing. For some reason, Aoba Ippei (Ikematsu Sosuke), a handler of the police dog division of the forensic department, sees his partner police dog Oliver as an old man in a dog costume, covered in desires for alcohol, cigarettes, and women… Moreover, the unusual setting in which Odagiri himself plays the role of the old man in the costume Oliver has caused a stir since the announcement of the drama adaptation. Even though he is a dog, he smokes a cigarette while playing with his smartphone while drinking alcohol, and when women who see him as a real dog run up to him saying “cute!”, Oliver, a womanizer, gets all lovey-dovey and gets carried away. Ippei, who looks at Oliver with a cold eye, warns the women, “It’s better not to touch him because he has fleas and lice,” and there is a dialogue where they are two? Many viewers were hooked on the quirky incidents that the buddy (man and dog?) gets caught up in. The chemical reaction of EGO-WRAPPIN’s music, including the theme song “The Hunter” that colors the worldview of the show, also became a hot topic.

Due to its popularity, Season 2 will air in 2022 with new cast members. It has been highly acclaimed, having been the number one trending topic worldwide on Twitter (now X) and winning the Grand Prix for Best Drama at the Tokyo Drama Awards 2022 and the Galaxy of the Month award.

Odagiri will continue to write, direct and edit the movie version, and will continue to play Oliver. When the movie was announced, visuals of Odagiri himself, playing Oliver, standing in front of a mysterious, glowing door were also released. Regarding the movie adaptation of this work, Odagiri said, “I tend to want to open doors that are in strange places, and I always press the switch that makes me think, ‘Why is it in a place like this?'” and looked back on his feelings when making the drama, saying, “The TV series ‘Oliver the Dog, (Gosh!!) This Bastard’ was also a work that I approached with that feeling, trying to pry open the door of TV dramas that are closing.” Regarding the movie adaptation, he commented, “Now that live-action movies with original scripts have become a rare species, what will you see behind this door? I would be happy if the scenery is shining.”

Filming took place from March to May and has already wrapped up. Editing is currently underway. The cast and story of the film are still shrouded in mystery. Stay tuned for more news!