A comeback for Richard Gere might be on the horizon. The Pretty Woman actor, who hasn’t been seen onscreen since 2017’s Three Christs, is reportedly in talks to play the lead role in the forthcoming drama Longing. The movie is adapting the critically acclaimed 2017 Hebrew film of the same name into English. Israeli filmmaker Savi Gabizon, who also helmed the original, will helm the remake. In the film Longing, Gere will play a middle-aged bachelor who, after forgetting about his son with an ex-girlfriend of 20 years ago, suddenly remembers that he has a son.
The man then starts to take stock of his life and the decisions he’s made leading up to this point. When it premiered at festivals like Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, the original film received rave reviews from critics across the world. There was a time when Gere was one of Hollywood’s greatest stars, and if his career hasn’t been as exciting recently, that time has passed. He appeared in films of practically every genre. From the musical Chicago to the romantic comedy Runaway Bride to the criminal thrillers The Jackal and Primal Fear. In addition to these modern masterpieces, he also appeared in Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman.
He will also be seen in the upcoming comedy Maybe I Do with Susan Sarandon, Emma Roberts, and Diane Keaton, and The Making Of with Keaton, Blake Lively, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, so Gere isn’t only returning with Longing. Daniel Bekerman, through his Scythia Films company, will produce the remake of Longing. Filmmakers Alexander Vinnitski of Current Flow Entertainment and The Solution Entertainment’s Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson will also contribute to the production as producers and executive producers, respectively.
Wilson commented on the decision to cast Gere, saying: After the success of Arbitrage and Norman, I couldn’t be more excited to work with Richard Gere again. After reading the screenplay for Longing, I was convinced that this was the ideal casting choice, and luckily, Richard agreed. In addition, Gabizon expressed enthusiasm at working with Gere, saying only: Having such a fantastic performer as Richard in my film is a lifelong goal of mine, therefore I can’t wait to get started.
Production on Longing has begun in Ontario, Canada.