According to Variety, Scott Steindorff's Stone Village Pictures has acquired remake rights to the 1955 French heist classic Rififi and will make a contemporized version starring Al Pacino and directed by Harold Becker.

Steindorff is planning to finance the film through the Stone Village Group, the route he is taking on the Leslie Caveny-scripted indie Penelope, which will star Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon.

Original Rififi was directed by Jules Dassin in France once he left the U.S. after finding himself on the Hollywood blacklist.

"Rififi" revolves around a career thief who, upon leaving prison, discovers his wife has left him. He returns to crime, plotting a daring jewelry store heist. Pic may best be remembered for a 30-minute robbery sequence that has no scripted dialogue or music.

Pic would be the third collaboration between Becker and Pacino, after "Sea of Love" and City Hall.

Steindorff previously obtained rights to the Akira Kurosawa-directed Ikiru and set up a remake at DreamWorks scripted by Richard Price and to be directed by Jim Sheridan.