One of our favorites coming out of Cannes this year was Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s “Like Father, Like Son,” with our very own Kevin Jagernauth giving it an “A” and describing as “a warm and lovely film that suggests the easiest thing about raising a child is embracing how complicated it can be.” Looks like were not alone, as the film won the Jury Prize along with a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury Prize, and will be making its North American premiere at this year’s TIFF. Well, it also turns out that the film piqued the particular interest and possible investment of one of Cannes’ jurors—the president, Steven Spielberg, to be exact.
According to Deadline, DreamWorks is negotiating the rights to a “Like Father, Like Son” remake with Fuji TV. Written and directed by Koreeda (“After Life,” “Nobody Knows“), the original film follows an ambitious Japanese family who discovers that there was a mix-up at the hospital all those years ago and their 6 year-old is not their biological son. They track down the other boy and a touching drama ensues about nature vs. nurture, parenting and identity. If/when Dreamworks and Fuji TV strike a deal, Spielberg would be donning just the producer’s cap, not looking to direct the film himself.
As they’re still “in process,” we won’t speculate too much, but feel free to share any of your thoughts, feelings, predictions down below in the comment section. But we will say this: Kore-eda’s film is absolutely lovely, and when Sundance Selects puts it in theaters (release date to be determined) do everything you can to track it down.