It has been announced that Anno Hideaki, chief director of Evangelion TV and movie series, will voice the role of Horikoshi Jirou, the protagonist character, in "Kaze Tachinu", the latest Ghibli film. According to Ghibli, Anno was picked because he perfectly fits the image of Horikoshi Jiro, a person that actually existed and was the designer of the Zero fighter plane used in WWII, as he also has a dignified image and speaks fast and smoothly. At first Anno was hesitant but at the insistence of Miyazaki Hayao, who has had a long working relationship history with Anno and whom Anno looks up to as mentor, he accepted the offer. This is the first time Anno has taken up a seiyuu role since 2002 when he did a guest seiyuu role in the anime "Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai".

Source: Yahoo News