Angelina Jolie Finds 'Unbroken' Villain in Japanese Singer Miyavi

Angelina Jolie-directed true-story drama "Unbroken" adds Miyavi to its cast ensemble. The Japanese guitarist/singer is tapped to play Mutsushiro Watanabe a.k.a The Bird, Louis Zamperini's cruel tormentor at the Japanese camp.

"As a musician, I questioned whether I should take a break from my craft to pursue this role," he says in a statement. "After meeting Angie, it became clear to me that an underlying theme to this story is forgiveness. This resonated with me because that is exactly what I want express through my music. I look forward to taking on this challenge whole-heartedly."

Based on Laura Hillenbrand's 2010 best-selling book "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption", the movie follows the true story of real-life World War hero Zamperini during the time he became prisoner of war.

Once an Olympic track star, Zamperini ended up taken hostage by the Japanese after the plane that he boarded crashed. He survived 47 days of enduring hunger and shark attacks, only to wash ashore behind the enemy lines.

Jack O'Connell will play the hero, and Garrett Hedlund will play Commander John Fitzgerald, a fellow prisoner of war in the Japanese camp where Zamperini was held hostage. Filming will start sometime soon in Australia to meet the planned December 25, 2014 release date.