The name of Hirokazu Kore-eda is revered in the halls of The Playlist. We speak it only with a full appreciation of all the filmmaker has done over his career. So, normally it would pain us to report that one of his features, “Like Father, Like Son,” is getting an English-language remake. But when that new film is directed by Lulu Wang, suddenly we’re very interested.
READ MORE: Review: Kore-Eda Hirokazu’s Warm And Lovely ‘Like Father, Like Son’
According to The Observer, Lulu Wang is onboard to direct an English-language version of Kore-eda’s acclaimed drama, “Like Father, Like Son.” The film follows the story of a father that learns the awful truth that his young son was switched at birth and the boy that he has been raising actually belongs to another family. He now is left with the choice about whether or not to raise a stranger’s son or switch for his biological kid.
Wang, of course, is probably best known for her breakout feature, last year’s acclaimed “The Farewell.” So, if there was anyone around that we would trust to helm a remake of “Like Father, Like Son,” it would be Wang. However, it appears that maybe this isn’t a remake after all.
You see, shortly after the report hit the web, Wang took to social media to vent her frustration at the leak and to hint that maybe The Observer doesn’t have all the relevant info about the project. Whatever Wang is cooking up, she hints that it’s not a straight-up remake like you might assume.
“Leaks on projects are really obnoxious because it lacks total context and all relevant perspective,” tweeted Wang. “If people wanted to know what a filmmaker is working on, perhaps they could actually ask the filmmakers involved? I’ve always been very transparent about my passions.”
Wang added, “P.S. I don’t believe in ‘remakes.’ I’ll leave it at that for now.”
This isn’t the first time that a new version of “Like Father, Like Son” was in development in Hollywood. Years ago, Steven Speilberg was attached to a remake of the feature, and in an interview with the director, he talked about the idea of what a remake might be like.
We’ll just have to wait for an official announcement of the project with Wang attached. Is it a remake? It appears not. Is it a re-imagining? Maybe. Or perhaps Wang is building a new project loosely based on Kore-eda’s film? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Until then, you can watch the trailer for “Like Father, Like Son” below: