Back in May, we reported that Richard Gere was going to make a Hollywood adaptation of the famous story of Hachiko. Here are some new details about the film from an article in Pacific Citizen:

In an industry that tends to stamp out ethnicity onscreen and behind the scenes, Wong is co-producing a $15 million feature film called “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story” starring Richard Gere and possibly Ken Watanabe. Filming is slated to begin this fall in Connecticut.

“People seem to identify with Hachiko. He symbolizes so many different things to different people. Hachiko represents innocence, fear, hope, joy, loss and loneliness,” she said.

[...]

“Hachiko: A Dog’s Story,” will be an American adaptation of the famous Japanese true story set in present-day Connecticut. In the film, Hachiko arrives from Japan and is discovered by Parker (Gere, who is also co-producing the film), a university professor.

Like the true story, Hachiko accompanies his master to the train station every day and returns each afternoon to greet him after work. But when Parker passes away, Hachiko faithfully returns to the same spot at the station every day for the next nine years to wait for his beloved master.

[Hat Tip to Josh for letting us know about this news!]