Director Lasse Hallstrom is bringing us Hachiko A Dog Story, an upcoming drama family movie based on the true story of a Japanese professor and his dog: it’s the tale of a dog’s life-long devotion to his owner. The film is starring Richard Gere in the lead role. It is scheduled to be released on August 8, 2009 in Japan (under the working title Hachi), so Hachiko A Dog’s Story should be released by the end of 2009 or early 2010 in the USA.

Hachiko A Dog Story Movie Trailer

Update: US trailer available:

Here below the first Hachiko movie trailer:

Plot:
“A college professor (Richard Gere) takes in an abandoned dog, Hachi, and they form an unbreakable bond. After the professor dies while away from home, the dog keeps vigil waiting for his master for nearly a decade.”

The story of Hachiko is well known in Japan: the dog even has his own statue in front of the Shibuya train station! So Richard Gere’s Hashiko is much awaited over there.

If you’re wondering about the dog race, er, I mean the dog breed, it’s an akita.

Such a cute and such a sad Story: I’m gonna cry shamelessly!
:)