Akira Ogata (Boy’s Choir, The Milkwoman) is set to direct Shikeidai no Elevator, a Japanese remake of Louis Malle’s 1957 French film “Ascenseur pour l’échafaud” (Elevator to the Gallows) with the blessing of the late director’s son, Manuel Cuotemoc Malle.

In the original version, Maurice Ronet plays an ex-Foreign Legion parachutist named Julien and Jeanne Moreau plays his lover, Florence. Together they hatch a plan for Julien to murder Florence’s husband in his office and then execute the perfect getaway by rappelling out the window. Instead, a simple mistake leads to him getting trapped in an elevator over night as a young couple steals his car and Florence mistakenly believes he’s taken off with another woman.

In the new version, Hiroshi Abe will play a charming doctor and Michiko Kichise will play the wife of a medical company president. The young couple will be played by Keiko Kitagawa and Tetsuji Tamayama.

“Shikeidai no Elevator” is slated for release in Japan next Fall.

Sources: Cinema Today | Wikipedia

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Tags: hiroshi abe, keiko kitagawa, masato ibu, michiko kichise, shikeidai no elevator, tetsuji tamayama