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December 11, 2009
Press Release & Poll - Polanski's Next Coming From Grrrl Powerhouse Summit Entertainment
December 11, 2009 10:57:19 AM PST
SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT TO DISTRIBUTE
OSCAR®-WINNING FILMMAKER ROMAN POLANSKI’S NEXT THRILLER- THE GHOST WRITER IN NORTH AMERICA
LOS ANGELES, CA – December 11, 2009 — Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute the thriller THE GHOST WRITER, directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent for THE GHOST WRITER. Sales have been made in all major territories around the globe. The North American rights to the film were represented by ICM. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie thriller tells the story of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book. The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his aide (Kim Cattrall). Hanging over Lang is the threat of a war crimes trial and a mysterious secret from his past that threatens to jeopardize international relations. The cast also includes Jim Belushi, Robert Pugh and Tom Wilkinson. Alexandre Desplat scored the film.
(the rest of the press release after the jump...)
THE GHOST WRITER is based on the novel The Ghost written by best-selling author Robert Harris. It won the International Thriller Writers’ Award for best novel of 2008. Harris joined Polanski in adapting the book for the big screen.
In a joint statement, Summit Entertainment Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said, “We had the good fortune to recently screen THE GHOST WRITER in Paris and were amazed at the film Roman and his team have created. He once again has proven himself as one of the world’s most talented filmmakers and master of suspense creating a very modern thriller and we look forward to sharing this film with North American audiences.”
The production is set up as a French-German-UK co-production between RP Films (F) 11, Babelsberg Film (Ger) and Runteam III (UK). Henning Molfenter, Carl L. Woebcken and Christoph Fisser (Studio Babelsberg) co-produced the film along with Timothy Burrill (Runteam).
Polanski, Cattrall, Williams and Belushi are represented by ICM.
Additional Information
Roman Polanski, the Academy Award®-winning director of THE PIANIST (2002) received his first Oscar® nomination for his 1964 film KNIFE IN THE WATER. Another Oscar nomination followed for the screenplay adaptation of the 1968 psychological thriller ROSEMARY'S BABY. Polanski was again nominated for Best Director in 1974 for CHINATOWN and once more in 1979 for TESS. To date he has directed 17 features in addition to several productions of live theatre.
British writer Robert Harris is the author of Fatherland (1992), a New York Times bestseller which imagined that Germany won World War II, subsequently made into an HBO movie starring Rutger Hauer and Miranda Richardson. His second novel Enigma (1995) about the breaking of the German Enigma code, was turned into a film starring Kate Winslet with a screenplay by Tom Stoppard. Archangel (1998) became a BBC mini-series in 2005, starring Daniel Craig. In 2003, Harris turned his attention towards Ancient Rome with his acclaimed Pompeii. He followed this with Imperium (2006), the first of a trilogy of novels about the life of Rome's great orator, Cicero.
About Summit Entertainment, LLC
Summit Entertainment, LLC is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The studio handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit Entertainment, LLC also represents international sales for both its own slate and third party product. Summit Entertainment, LLC plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.
Posted by dpoland at December 11, 2009 11:34 AM
Comments
"Quaaludes and Champagne"?
Stay classy.
And you forgot the option "How the hell did Jim Belushi get into this film?"
Posted by: lazarus ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 11, 2009 12:26 PM
Twitpoll is right.
Posted by: christian at December 11, 2009 02:33 PM
Jim Belushi is an American Treasure dillweed, and DON'T YOU FORGET IT!
Posted by: IOIOIOI at December 11, 2009 09:14 PM
Goddamn, Desplate is on a tear lately. Did he get a new agent or something?
Posted by: jeffmcm at December 11, 2009 09:45 PM
Desplat.
Posted by: jeffmcm at December 11, 2009 09:50 PM
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