After wrapping up the New York shoot of the upcoming Oppenheimer Strategies, the much-hyped project by director Joseph Cedar is headed for Israel – bringing acclaimed American actor Richard Gere along on the trip to the Jewish State next week.
Gere will continue working under the direction of Cedar, mostly in Jerusalem, alongside Israeli actors like Lior Ashkenazi, Tali Sharon, Neta Riskin, Dov Glickman, and Yehuda Almagor.
The 65-year-old actor – previously known as a Hollywood heartthrob for his work in American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman – joined the Oppenheimer project through Oren Moverman, an Israeli journalist and director living in New York, who cast him as the star in 2014’s Time Out of Mind.
For his latest feature film, Gere will take the screen alongside Steve Buscemi and French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.
The American superstar will arrive in Israel after his appearance on the television reunion of the Pretty Woman cast – 25 years after the film first hit the silver screen.
Gere met with his former co-stars on NBC’s Today and shared memories of that famous shoot with Julia Roberts, Héctor Elizondo, Laura San Giacomo, and director Garry Marshall.
Unlike that classic romantic comedy from the 1990s, the plot of Oppenheimer Strategies is set in the real – albeit complex – world. The story begins in New York, where Jewish businessman Norman Oppenheimer (played by Gere) accidentally meets an Israeli politician.
The film follows the unintentional relationship sparked between the two after the pair bond over the purchase of luxury loafers, through its highs and lows as the Israeli character’s career gains momentum.
