Film project based on the Abe assassination faces backlash; Netflix confirms cancellation.

The 2022 assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shocked the world. News that the shooting would be adapted into a film—with award-winning actor Masaki Suda reportedly tapped to play the assailant, Tetsuya Yamagami—sparked immediate and fierce backlash. Japanese media recently revealed that the driving force behind the project was the international streaming platform Netflix. In response, Netflix issued an official statement acknowledging that “this is a project that has been cancelled.”

The plan to adapt the Abe assassination into a film was first reported by Tokyo Sports. The report indicated that filming was scheduled to begin this autumn, with Masaki Suda eyed for the lead role; it even suggested that Suda had recently grown out his hair to replicate Yamagami’s appearance at the time of his arrest.

The news triggered an immediate outcry among Japanese netizens, who condemned the idea, arguing that “terrorists must never be glorified” and that “it is far too soon to film such subject matter.” Some even threatened to boycott anyone involved in the production. Suda’s social media accounts were flooded with messages from fans urging him not to take the role.

However, a report by the Japanese magazine Josei Seven cited insiders revealing that the project had already been moving toward cancellation. The initiative had indeed originated within Netflix, with acclaimed director Tetsuya Nakashima—known for films such as Confessions and Memories of Matsuko—slated to helm the project. Industry reporters further noted, “Masaki Suda was never particularly enthusiastic about the project from the very beginning.”