Fox Searchlight Pictures President Peter Rice and Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov announced today that the companies have joined forces on the North American release of Slumdog Millionaire (View new photos). Fox Searchlight Pictures will handle marketing and distribution of the film. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan. The film is based on the best selling novel “Q&A” by Vikas Swarup. The film is scheduled to be released on November 28, 2008 and will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“The film is tour de force of filmmaking that hits you both viscerally and emotionally at every twist and turn. Everyone here was just astonished by the movie and immediately knew we had to be involved with it,” said Rice. “Searchlight is pleased to able to work with Warner Bros. on such a unique and extraordinary film.”
With the recent additions to our slate, it became impossible for us to release ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in this calendar year,” said Robinov. “We’re very proud of Danny and the movie, and we are pleased to partner with Fox Searchlight to release the film on November 28, 2008.”
Added Boyle, “I am grateful to Warner for their careful handling of the film. I had a great time making this movie and I look forward to working with my old friends at Searchlight to ensure that audiences at Toronto and beyond have a great time watching it.”
“It is a credit to both Searchlight and Warner that Danny’s exceptional film will now get the life it deserves. Our thanks go to Peter Rice and Jeff Robinov for making this happen,” added Colson.
Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”
But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game shows questions.
Intrigued by Jamal’s story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show?
When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out…
