News

Brendan Fraser takes on the role of a struggling American actor who gets hired by an unusual agency, the Rental Family, which provides stand-in companions and relatives for its clients. Set to be his first lead gig since his return to the limelight with The Whale, we might be looking at another Awards-season darling, if the trailer is anything to go by.

Scheduled to premiere at September’s Toronto Film Festival, with a release date set for November, Fraser’s introspective journey could land him in some serious Award buzz later this year.

Brendan Fraser Is the Token White Guy for Tokyo’s Rental Family Agency

Set against the backdrop of Tokyo, Brendan Fraser’s Rental Family seems to have all the right ingredients required to tug at the heartstrings. The story will see Fraser immersing himself in strangers’ lives as the token white guy for the Tokyo agency, blurring...

The trailer for Rental Family has been released, giving the first real look at the upcoming comedy-drama from director Hikari. The film stars Brendan Fraser, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, and Akira Emoto.

It will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025 before opening in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2025, according to Searchlight Pictures.

The movie follows a lonely American actor living in Tokyo who takes a job at a Japanese “rental family” company. These companies hire people to play stand-in family members in the lives of clients who need them.

At first, it’s just another acting job, but along the way, he finds himself forming real connections and experiencing unexpected joy with the people he’s hired to help.

Discover the joy of unexpected connections. Rental Family, starring Academy Award® winner Brendan Fraser. Directed by Hikari. Premiering at @TIFF_NET 2025, only in theaters November 21st. #RentalFamily pic.

The first trailer for Rental Family has arrived, giving audiences a peek at the upcoming comedy-drama from director Hikari. The movie stars Brendan Fraser, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, and Akira Emoto.

Discover the joy of unexpected connections. Rental Family, starring Academy Award® winner Brendan Fraser. Directed by Hikari. Premiering at @TIFF_NET 2025, only in theaters November 21st. #RentalFamily pic.twitter.com/nPZP9Ogc96

— Searchlight Pictures (@searchlightpics) August 5, 2025

According to Searchlight Pictures, the film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025 before opening in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2025.

Rental Family is about a lonely American actor who lives in Tokyo and feels disconnected from the world around him. He ends up taking a job at a Japanese “rental family” company, a real type of business in Japan where people can hire actors to play roles like a husband, father, son, or friend in their lives.

Years ago, talk show host Conan O’Brien traveled to Japan for one of his special international remote episodes that helped inspire his new series, Conan O’Brien Must Go. While in Japan, O’Brien checked out some of the unique local sights. One of the things he explored was a family rental service that the country provides to combat the national crisis of loneliness. His exploration into the topic was, of course, done in a very humorous way. However, filmmaker Hikari, who helmed drama 37 Seconds as well as a few seasons in the first season of Netflix’s Beef, explores the concept with a bit more drama. Searchlight Pictures has released the trailer for Rental Family, which will make its debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Keep a lookout for our upcoming review when it screens!

The official synopsis reads,

“Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family...

Searchlight Pictures on Tuesday released the trailer for Rental Family, its upcoming comedic drama that stars Brendan Fraser his first first major role since winning the Best Actor Oscar for The Whale in 2023.

The film, directed and co-written by Beef director Hikari, will have its world premiere at next month’s Toronto Film Festival ahead of a November 21, 2025 release date.

Fraser plays as a lonely, down-and-out American actor living in Tokyo who begins working for a Japanese “rental family” company to play various stand-in roles in other people’s lives. Along the way, he forges some surprising human connections and discovers unexpected joys within his built-in family.

“We sell emotion — we play roles in clients’ lives,” explains Shōgun‘s Takehiro Hira when Fraser interviews for his next “gig.” “…Girlfriends’ boyfriends, best friends, and help them connect with what’s missing.”

He eventually gets a role playing a girl’s father,...

The new trailer has been revealed for Rental Family. The movie follows the story of a washed-up American actor living in Tokyo who is offered a unique new opportunity. The film is described as a comedy-drama and is directed by Beef's Hikari, who also co-wrote its script with Stephen Blahut.

The movie features Brendan Fraser as the protagonist in his first leading role since winning Best Actor for The Whale. The supporting cast includes Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto. Rental Family is set for release on November 21.

Searchlight Pictures has revealed the latest trailer has been revealed for Rental Family. The trailer opens with Fraser's character acting in a series of his commercials, looking exhausted. One day, he is offered the opportunity to participate in a "rental family" program, where he is tasked with taking on important roles in the lives of Japanese families.

Pitched as a group that is "selling emotion,...

Brendan Fraser goes abroad for his latest film, “Rental Family,” to play an expat in Tokyo. The Best Actor Oscar winner leads the drama from “Beef” director Hikari, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Blahut.

Fraser stars as a struggling actor hired to play a token American man for a Japanese “rental family” company in Tokyo. The role? Acting as a stand-in for other people’s lives for their milestone events.

The synopsis reads: “Set against modern-day Tokyo, ‘Rental Family’ follows an American actor (Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese ‘rental family’ agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.”

Takehiro Hira,...

Guillermo del Toro, Jodie Foster, Hikari and Lee Byung-hun are among the names who will be honored at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Tribute Awards on Sept. 7. TIFF announced that these four artists will each be recognized for their contributions to film at the 50th anniversary of the festival.

Alongside these honorees, TIFF also announced that it would host the North American premiere of “No Other Choice,” the latest film from Park Chan-wook. Lee stars in the film, which will have its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival.

Brendan Fraser will serve as the 2025 Honorary Chair at the Tribute Awards. The Oscar-winning actor received a Tribute Performer Award in 2022 when he brought “The Whale” to TIFF. Fraser follows Sandra Oh, who became the ceremony’s first Honorary Chair in 2024.

“I’m honoured to return to Toronto once again and to the TIFF Tribute Awards, this time not as a recipient,...

Two years after his first Oscar win, Brendan Fraser's next leading movie finally gets a release date. During the late 1990s to the 2000s, Fraser was one of Hollywood's brightest stars. He led The Mummy franchise and had other starring roles in films like George of the Jungle, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

However, the actor took a career break in the 2010s, due to many factors that led to the actor shrinking away from the public eye. Later that decade, Fraser slowly started returning to Hollywood with roles in projects like DC's Doom Patrol and Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move.

After his Oscar win for The Whale, Fraser also appeared in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and 2024's Brothers. The actor was also set to play Firefly in the canceled Batgirl film. He came back in...

Disney has shared its latest release schedule, which includes two of its hotly anticipated motion pictures.

On Thursday, Walt Disney Studios announced that Searchlight Pictures‘ Rental Family will premiere November 21, while 20th Century Fox‘s Psycho Killer will debut on February 20, 2026.

Rental Family, which filmed last spring in Japan, stars Brendan Fraser as a lonely, down-and-out American actor living in Tokyo. He starts working for a Japanese “rental family” company to play various stand-in roles in other people’s lives. Along the way, he forges some surprising human connections and discovers unexpected joys within his built-in family.

Marking Fraser’s first starring role since his Oscar-winning performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (2022), the actor said at Deadline’s Red Sea Studio, “I couldn’t resist making this film for the opportunity to work there and to also blaze a trail. I think more and more productions are likely going...

Production has begun in Japan on Searchlight Pictures’ comedy drama Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser.

Takehiro Hira from Shogun and Akira Emoto have joined the cast.

Beef and Tokyo Vice director Hikari helms the film which also stars previously announced Mari Yamamoto.

Principal photography is scheduled to continue in Japan through May on the story of a lonely US actor in Tokyo who forges unexpected connections after he gets a job playing stand-in roles in people’s lives at a Japanese “rental family” company.

Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen are producing with Hikari, and Shin Yamaguchi. Hikari...

Production has begun in Japan on Searchlight Pictures’ Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser as the company announced new cast members Takehiro Hira from Shogun and Oscar winner Akira Emoto.

Beef and Tokyo Vice director Hikari helms the comedic drama, which also stars previously announced Mari Yamamoto.

Principal photography is scheduled to continue in Japan through May on the story of a lonely American actor (Fraser) in Tokyo who forges unexpected connections after he gets a job playing stand-in roles in people’s lives at a Japanese “rental family” company.

Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen are producing with Hikari,...

Exclusive: BAFTA Award nominee Takehiro Hira (Shōgun, Gran Turismo) and Japanese Academy Award winner Akira Emoto have rounded out the cast of Searchlight’s Rental Family directed by Hikari (Beef) and starring The Whale Best Actor Oscar winner Brendan Fraser and Mari Yamamoto (Pachinko).

Cameras are now rolling in Japan, with production to wrap around May. A release date has not been set.

Deadline first told you about the project, which follows a lonely, down-and-out American actor (Fraser) living in Tokyo. He starts working for a Japanese “rental family” company to play various stand-in roles in other people’s lives. Along the way, he forges some surprising human connections and discovers unexpected joys within his built-in family.

“It’s an absolute dream to bring Rental Family to the world,” said Hikari. “I am truly so thankful for my collaboration with my partners at Searchlight and Sight Unseen and for their never-ending support,...

Mari Yamamoto will star opposite Brendan Fraser in Hikari’s “Rental Family.” The film follows a down and out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as the token American guy for a Japanese rental family company providing professional stand-in services. The Searchlight Pictures’ release will commence principal photography next week in Japan.

Yamamoto was most recently seen in the Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” a sci-fi epic in which she appeared with Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell and Kiersey Clemmons. Prior to that series, she was seen in another Apple production, “Pachinko” opposite Youn Yuh-Jung and Jin Ha.

Fraser recently won an Oscar for his work in “The Whale.” His credits include “Gods and Monsters,” “The Mummy,” Crash” and “No Sudden Move.” He most recently appeared in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Hikari directed episodes of the Netflix series “Beef,” which won Emmys and Golden Globe Awards, as...

Brendan Fraser, known for his roles in popular films like George of the Jungle and The Mummy franchise, is experiencing a resurgence in his career after winning an Academy Award for The Whale. Fraser faced personal struggles, including sexual assault, the loss of his mother, and health problems, which led to his disappearance from the media. Despite his recent success, Fraser is carefully selecting his next roles, and he has landed a part in Searchlight's Rental Family, directed by Hikari.

After winning his first Academy Award for his emotional performance in The Whale, and appearing briefly in Martin Scorsese's latest film Killers of the Flower Moon, Brendan Fraser lands his next big role in Searchlight's Rental Family. Fraser is ready to experience the second golden era of his career. During the 90s, the actor was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, starring in popular films such as George of the Jungle...

Brendan Fraser has lined up his next role!

After taking his time to find his next role after winning Best Actor for The Whale at the 2023 Oscars, the 54-year-old actor has signed on to star in the upcoming movie Rental Family.

Keep reading to find out more…

Beef director Hikari will be directing the movie from a script she co-wrote with Stephen Blahut, Deadline reports.

Here’s the synopsis: “The story follows follows a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental-family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.”

Production for Rental Family is set to begin in spring 2024 in Japan.

In a recent interview, Brendan talked about looking for roles after his Oscars win.

The Whale star Brendan Fraser secures his first major role since winning his Best Actor Academy Award thanks to an upcoming Searchlight Pictures title.

Per Deadline, Fraser is set to star in Rental Family, which will be helmed by Beef director Mitsuyo Miyazaki aka Hikari, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut. Hikari has been developing Rental Family since 2019, with the movie following the story of an actor down on his luck who lives in Tokyo. While there, he is hired by a local rental family company as a token American guy, leading him on an unforeseen journey to self-discovery as he sees the impact he has on other people's lives. Production on Rental Family begins next spring in Japan.

Batgirl: What Made Brendan Fraser's Firefly a True 'Supervillain'

Fraser has largely been quiet since his much-heralded performance as an obese, reclusive English teacher named Charlie in the critically acclaimed drama film,...

Brendan Fraser is ready to continue his revival, landing his first leading role after winning the Academy Award for The Whale. Fraser will star in Hikari’s Rental Family, which comes from a script co-written by Hikari and Stephen Blahut.

As per Deadline, Rental Family “follows a down and out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.” Filming will begin in spring 2024 in Japan. No other cast has been announced outside of Brendan Fraser at this time.

So far, Brendan Fraser has avoided the post-Oscar slump that the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Adrian Brody (The Pianist) and so many others have suffered. In fact, his first picture after his Best Actor win was for Martin Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon.

After saying that he’d be very picky about his next role after winning an Oscar, Brendan Fraser has found it. He will star in “Rental Family” for Searchlight Pictures and from filmmaker Hikari, best known for her work on “Beef.”

Fraser in “Rental Family” will star as a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company providing professional stand-in services.

Hikari has been developing “Rental Family” since 2019, and she also co-wrote the film with Stephen Blahut. The film will begin principal photography this spring in Japan. No release date has been announced.

Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen, which produced this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “A Thousand and One,” are producing “Rental Family.” Hikari and Shin Yamaguchi, who produced her prior feature “37 Seconds” in 2019, will also produce. Blahut and Tomo Koizumi will executive produce.

Brendan Fraser, a newly minted Academy Award winner, is set to star in the Searchlight Pictures comedic drama “Rental Family.”

Japanese filmmaker Mitsuyo Miyazaki, who goes by Hikari and worked on Netflix’s “Beef,” is directing and producing the film. She’s also co-writing the script with Stephen Blahut, whom she collaborated with on the docudrama “37 Seconds.” Principal photography will begin this spring in Japan, with release plans to be announced at a later date.

“Rental Family” follows a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company providing professional stand-in services. Fraser is the only person cast in the movie so far.

This project marks Fraser’s first major role since he took home the lead actor Oscar for Darren Aronofsky’s downbeat drama “The Whale.” The arthouse movie doubled as a career resurgence for Fraser, who spent...

Oscar winner Brendan Fraser has signed on to star in Rental Family, a comedy-drama that Beef director Hikari is directing for Searchlight Pictures.

Hikari is doing triple-duty on the project, with co-writer and producer on her list of tasks. Also producing the feature are Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen, the banner that counts movies such as Bad Education among its credits. Shin Yamaguchi is producing as well.

Co-penned by with Stephen Blahut, Family follows a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.

Fraser will play the down-and-out actor.

The plan is to begin principal photography this spring in Japan. Release plans will be announced at a later date.

Blahut and Tomo Koiziu are executive producing.

Fraser is...

Exclusive: After taking his time in finding his next big role after winning this year’s Best Actor Oscar, Brendan Fraser looks to have zeroed in on that role as sources tell Deadline he is set to star in Searchlight’s Rental Family. Beef helmer Hikari will direct from a script she co-wrote with Stephen Blahut.

Hikari has been developing the project since 2019 and will produce along with Shin Yamaguchi as well as Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev of Sight Unseen Productions.

The story follows follows a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental-family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.

Production is set to start this spring in Japan. Blahut and Tomo Koizumi will exec produce. SVP Production Taylor Friedman and Manager of Creative Affairs Daniel Yu...