Richard Gere is back onscreen with his own mini renaissance.
The legendary actor leads the English language remake of Savi Gabizon’s 2017 Israeli thriller “Longing” alongside Diane Kruger. The Lionsgate/Grindstone film “follows Daniel Bloch (Gere) who is shocked to discover a secret from his past and is immediately consumed by the extraordinary twists of a new life he never could have imagined. Daniel continues to dive into the mystery of his own identity until he arrives at a crossroad in his own life,” per the official synopsis.
Writer/director Gabizon returns to helm the remake, which co-stars Suzanne Clément. The original “Longing” premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where writer/director Gabizon won the BNL People’s Choice Award. The film went on to screen at TIFF.
Gabizon made his feature debut “Shuroo” in 1991, followed by “Lovesick on Nana Street” in 1995. Both features won Israeli Academy Ophir Awards. Gabizon’s third film “Nina’s Tragedies” was released in 2003 and made history as the first Israeli narrative feature to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival. Gabizon released “Longing” in 2017; the remake will be his fifth film and first since 2017.
“Longing” is produced by Daniel Bekerman under his Scythia Films banner along with Current Flow Entertainment’s Alexander Vinnitski, with Anamorphic Media Inc’s Sara Shaak and Matthew Lyons providing lead financing. The Solution Entertainment’s Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson executive produce and are handled global sales, with distributor Lionsgate/Grindstone picking up the feature.
Executive producer Wilson previously collaborated with Gere on “Arbitrage” and “Norman.”
Both Gere and Kruger have films debuting at Cannes, with Gere starring in Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” and Kruger cast in David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds.” Kruger replaced Léa Seydoux in the role of Vincent Cassel’s deceased wife after Seydoux parted ways with the project. Seydoux told IndieWire that Kruger would be “great” in the film as Seydoux herself needed an acting “break” despite loving “working with David.”
Ironically, “Longing” was also filmed in Canada, keeping Gere local for the Ontario production before he led Schrader’s feature. Gere portrays an aging filmmaker who also grapples with his past secrets, including his family legacy, in the Schrader film.
“Longing” hits theaters on Friday, June 7. Check out the film’s first trailer below.
