Richard Gere produces/ stars in "Hachikō Monogatari" remake

by Chris MaGee

Back in October I wrote a review for the 1987 weeper Hachikō Monogatari directed by Seijirô Kôyama. Okay, I didn't weep while watching the true life story of a dog that waited for years for his dead master at Shibuya Station, but I know someone who did. Richard Gere, that's who, and apparently the original film and the story of the orphaned Akita touched the "American Gigolo" and "Pretty Woman" star so much that he's produced and is starring in a North American remake of the film. “It’s something I want my kids to see,” he's been quoted as saying.

Titled "Hachiko: A Dog's Story" the story gets transplanted from early 20th-century Japan to early 21st-century America, but the basic plot remains the same. Gere will take on the Tatsuya Nakadai role of a college professor who takes in an abandoned puppy, but then passes away leaving the now grown dog to mourn and wait for its master until it dies too. Cheery!

"My Life as a Dog" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" director Lasse Hallström helmed the remake due out in the spring of 2009.

Thanks to Asian Fanatics for the news.