A new remake of a Japanese smash hit is in development over at DreamWorks and it’s a horror movie with a sci-fi element, but the horror elements aren’t really scary. Variety is reporting that Yomigaeri, a fantasy based on Shinji Kajio‘s novel has had its rights acquired from Tokyo Broadcasting System by the house that Spielberg built. William Nicholson (“Gladiator“) is writing the screenplay while DreamWorks is eyeing a late 2008 start date.
A quick synopsis of the original film:
A boy who died during World War II turns up at the door of his now-ancient mother, looking the same, down to his burr haircut, as he did 58 years ago. Heita (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), an elite bureaucrat for the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, is called in to investigate and is flummoxed by what he discovers. But when he discusses the case with Aoi (Yuko Takeuchi), a colleague and childhood friend, she is brusquely dismissive. The number of cases keeps growing, however.
