A call for extras on the official website of the city of Annaka in Gunma Prefecture has revealed that a live-action film version of Hyōka, a 2001 mystery novel written by Honobu Yonezawa and published by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, is in development.

The casting call (available in Japanese in PDF form here) calls for between 53 and 75 extras both male and female to play students and teachers in school scenes to be filmed on April 06, 14, 15, and 16. The notice also reveals that Mari Asato (the live-action Fatal Frame film, The Chasing World 3 - 5) is both directing and writing the screenplay for Hyōka.

Hyōka was also adapted into a TV anime in 2012 with direction by Yasuhiro Takemoto and animation by Kyoto Animation. The story involves a young man named Hōtarō Oreki who is pressured into joining the Classic Literature Club at his high school by his elder sister, only to become embroiled in a mystery that dates back 33 years.

Sources:

Net Lab

Anime News Network

Official Annaka City home page

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.