Richard Gere realizes he's a father after learning a shocking secret

Richard Gere is back on screen with his own mini revival.

The legendary actor is leading the English-language remake of Savi Gabizon’s 2017 Israeli drama “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 and turns of a new life he could never have imagined. Daniel continues to delve into the mystery of his own identity until he comes to a crossroads in his own life,” according to the official synopsis.

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Writer/director Gabizon returns to direct the remake, with Suzanne Clément starring. The original film “Longing” premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where writer-director Gabizon won the BNL People’s Choice Award. The film was later screened at TIFF.

Gabizon directed his first feature film “Shuroo” in 1991, followed by “Lovesick on Nana Street” in 1995. Both features won the Israeli Academy’s Ophir Awards. Gabizon’s third film, “The Tragedies of Nina,” was released in 2003 and made history as the first Israeli narrative feature film to screen 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 with Alexander Vinnitski of Current Flow Entertainment, Sara Shaak and Matthew Lyons of Anamorphic Media Inc providing lead financing. Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson of The Solution Entertainment serve as executive producers and are responsible for worldwide sales, with distributor Lionsgate/Grindstone handling the feature.

Executive producer Wilson previously collaborated with Gere on “Arbitrage” and “Norman.”

Both Gere and Kruger have films debuting at Cannes, with Gere in Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” and Kruger in David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds.” Kruger replaced Léa Seydoux as 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 a “break” from acting despite loving “working with David.”

Ironically, “Longing” was also filmed in Canada, allowing Gere to stay local for the Ontario production before directing Schrader’s feature. Gere plays Schrader in the film as an aging filmmaker who is also grappling with his past secrets, including his family heritage.

“Longing” hits theaters on Friday, June 7. Check out the first trailer for the film below.

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