Richard Gere and Joan Allen are reportedly going to be starring in a film by Lasse Hallstrom which tells a Japanese story which sounds exactly like the Scottish tale of Greyfriars Bobby.

The film, Hachiko, A Dog's Story, like Greyfriars Bobby, is an allegedly true tale.

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, tells the supposedly true story of an Akita dog that kept a decade long vigil for its owner who died and never returned home. Again, just like Greyfriars Bobby, there’s a celebration held each year for the story and a statue lives in the centre of Tokyo in honour of the poor dog.

According to Variety Richard Gere is set to play a college professor who takes in the dog and I’m guessing that Joan Allen will star as the dog’s owner.

Now for those of you who do know what I’m talking about when I say Greyfriars Bobby, you’ll be nodding your head about now, because it sounds exactly the same, except for the bit about it being in Japan of course, and we've seen several film incarnations of the Scottish tale to date.

However true the story is, I just can’t raise interest in this for two reasons. The first is that it sounds like a formulaic, heart tugging story, and the second is that animal films are banned in the various Brunton family households as we’re all complete saps.

Let people be harmed, that matters not a jot, but have a poor animal even hinted at being hurt or in distress and you’ll see almost any member of the Brunton household breaking into tears!

So not for me I’m afraid. Anyway, I prefer the Scottish version. Oh, and is it only me that’s laughing at the Director’s first name and how apt it is?