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TOKYO – DreamWorks has acquired remake rights to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s Like Father, Like Son after the babies-swapped-at-birth story caught the eye of Steven Spielberg at Cannes this year, where it was awarded the Jury Prize.
Spielberg, who was president of the jury at Cannes, has not announced who will direct the U.S. remake. The Japanese film, which stars Masaharu Fukuyama, was produced by Fuji TV, Amuse Inc. and GAGA.
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Following Cannes, there was much chatter that DreamWorks could pick up the remake rights to the film, and over the weekend, the two sides made the deal official.
“When I saw the film at Cannes, I was so impressed by its power to bring such a human story to the screen. Here at DreamWorks Studios, [CEO] Stacey [Snider] and our team recognized that it was a story we wanted to remake to bring to our audiences throughout the world,” said Spielberg in a statement. “I thank Hirokazu Kore-eda and Fuji TV for giving us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
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“I am honored that a company such as DreamWorks will be developing my film for American audiences. I’m looking forward to working with Steven Spielberg, for whom I have great admiration,” said Kore-eda.
Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi ni Naru) opened in Japan on Sept. 28, released by GAGA, which will handle international sales along with Wild Bunch.
Twitter: @GavinJBlair
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