CHRIS ROCK NEWS
Rock to do remake of Akira Kurosawa's 'High and Low' for Mike Nichols

by Wilson Morales

April 12, 2010

While promoting his latest comedy, 'Death at a Funeral,' Chris Rock revealed that his next project included writing 'High and Low' for director Mike Nichols. The film would be a remake of famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1963 detective thriller.

Based loosely on Evan Hunter's 'King's Ransom,' the story follows an executive named Kingo Gondo, who learns that his son has been kidnapped. He is prepared to pay the ransom amount until he discovers that the kidnappers mistakenly abducted the child of his chauffeur. Gondo must decide between keeping the money he has saved up for a critical corporate buyout or using it to save his driver's son.

Rock replaces David Mamet, whose screenplay was first commissioned by executive producer Martin Scorsese back in 1999. There's no confirmation as to whether Scorsese or producer Scott Rudin are still involved with the project.

For Rock, this would be his fourth redo.

His 2007 film 'I Think I Love My Wife' with Kerry Washington was a remake of Eric Rohmer's 'L'Amour l'après-midi' (Love in the Afternoon/Chloe in the Afternoon).

'Death at a Funeral' is a remake of a 2007 British film with the same name, and Rock has already optioned the English-language remake rights to France's 'La Premiere Etoile,' (The First Star), which opened in 2009.

Nichols last directed the 2007 Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts film 'Charlie Wilson's War.'