Polanski film gets distributor in U.S.
Roman Polanski may still be in Switzerland, but his movie will be coming to the U.S.
The director, who is caught in legal limbo abroad, will see his new movie -- a thriller called “The Ghost Writer” -- released in the U.S. by Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the phenomenally successful “Twilight” franchise.
The company plans on a quick turnaround, releasing the Polanski film sometime in the first half of 2010. “Ghost Writer” did not previously have a U.S. distributor.
The embattled Polanski is currently living in his Swiss chalet after being released from jail on $4.5-million bail. In an eerie parallel, his new movie also involves a prominent figure living in exile under solitary conditions: It tells of a former British prime minister who is holed up on an island off the East Coast of the U.S.
The film’s plot explores a mysterious death and the political and sexual intrigue involving the former prime minister, his wife and a ghost writer who comes to the island to help with the prime minister’s memoirs. Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor and Kim Catrall star in the film, which is based on a book by Robert Harris.
Polanski’s most recent work of note was “The Pianist,” about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which won Oscars for the director, lead actor (Adrien Brody) and adapted screenplay (Ronald Harwood) in 2002; he also directed an adaptation of “Oliver Twist” in 2005.
The intrigue over Polanski’s case -- the director may face extradition over 32-year-old statutory rape charges -- could give a publicity bump to the film, and it’s likely the stars who promote it would again shine a light on the director’s situation when the film rolls out.
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