Tadanobu Asano to play lead in Martin Scorsese's next

Los Angeles: Filmmaker Martin Scorsese has roped in prolific Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano for a lead in his next film 'Silence'.

Asano, 41, will join Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, and Adam Driver in the Jay Cocks-scripted adaptation of the novel by Shusaku Endo, reported Deadline.

The film will begin shooting early this year. Asano, best known for starring in the Sergey Bodrov-directed 'Mongol', has replaced Ken Watanabe in the role of an interpreter who accompanies two Jesuit priests (Garfield and Driver) as they search for their mentor (Neeson) who went to 17th Century Japan to spread the gospel of Christianity.

Watanabe was dropped out when production pushed the dates and they clashed with Watanabe's commitment to the Broadway revival of The King and I, which begins rehearsals in New York this month.