Nichols to Direct Mamet Scripted HIGH AND LOW Remake

Variety is reporting that Mike Nichols is set to direct a remake of Akira Kurosawa's film "High and Low", with a screenplay penned by David Mamet.

Mamet was originally commissioned by Martin Scorsese in 1999 but due to issues with pulling the rights together, it is just taking off now. Scorsese will reportedly executive produce the film along with Scott Rudin.

"High Low" is Kurosawa's 1963 detective thriller that tells the story of a business executive who is trying to gain complete control of the company he works for, when he finds out that his son has been kidnapped. When he finds out that by mistake the kidnappers took the son of his driver, he is faced with the decision whether to use the money to pay the ransom or buy out all the shares in his company.

As of now, no casting has been announced.

Nichols's extraordinary career spans more than five decades and includes countless television, film and theatre projects. His exceptional work has been recognized at the Tony Awards, the Oscars, the Emmys and the Grammys, making him one of nine individuals who have been honored with all four of the major entertainment awards. His award winning projects include, The Graduate, the HBO Mini-Series Angels in America, Wit, Barefoot in the Park, The Real Thing, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Plaza Suite, Annie, and most recently the 2005 Tony winner Spamalot.

David Mamet was most recently represented on Broadway by November and won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Glengarry Glen Ross. His other stage credits include Speed-The-Plow (Tony nom.), The Cryptogram (Pulitzer nom.), Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Oleanna, Romance, Boston Marriage, The Old Neighborhood, A Life in the Theatre and the adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance. Mamet is also a two-time Academy Award-nominee for The Verdict and Wag the Dog whose other film credits include State and Main, The Winslow Boy, The Spanish Prisoner, Homicide and The Untouchables. He a writer and co-producer for the current CBS hit "The Unit" and the author of numerous novels including The Wicked Son and Bambi vs. Godzilla. This season on Broadway is seeing revivals of two Mamet's masterpieces: Speed-The-Plow, starring Jeremy Piven and Raul Esparza and American Buffalo with John Leguizamo and Cedric The Entertainer.

Photo by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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