Exclusive: Independent Artist Group has signed screenwriter, producer, director and showrunner Michael Petroni for representation.
Most recently, Petroni co-wrote Sony/Screen Gems’ supernatural horror flick The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe, which grossed over $77M worldwide. He’s best known for scripting 20th Century Fox’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and Sophie Nélisse, as well as co-writing The Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, another Fox title that opened at #1 domestically and grossed over $415 million worldwide.
Previously, Petroni co-wrote New Line’s horror pic The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins, which also opened #1 and grossed over $100 million. He also wrote and directed Till Human Voices Wake Us starring Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce, as well as Backtrack starring Adrien Brody and Sam Neill.
In television, Michael created, exec produced and showran Netflix’s Messiah, which was the most...
Most recently, Petroni co-wrote Sony/Screen Gems’ supernatural horror flick The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe, which grossed over $77M worldwide. He’s best known for scripting 20th Century Fox’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and Sophie Nélisse, as well as co-writing The Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, another Fox title that opened at #1 domestically and grossed over $415 million worldwide.
Previously, Petroni co-wrote New Line’s horror pic The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins, which also opened #1 and grossed over $100 million. He also wrote and directed Till Human Voices Wake Us starring Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce, as well as Backtrack starring Adrien Brody and Sam Neill.
In television, Michael created, exec produced and showran Netflix’s Messiah, which was the most...
- 5/22/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
ITV Studios is expanding its international scripted footprint by acquiring a majority stake in Australian production company Lingo Pictures.
Led by Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens, Lingo Pictures will be ITV Studios’ first-ever Australian scripted label.
Bowden and Stephens will continue to head up the business based in Sydney. Lingo will now be part of the wider ITV Studios Group, under the international production arm led by managing director Lisa Perrin.
Lingo’s recent productions include a second season of “The Secrets She Keeps” for Paramount+, BBC One and Sundance/AMC and the company has also just completed production on the second season of the Foxtel Australia and Sky Original series, “Upright,” starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock (“House of the Dragon”).
Upcoming projects include “Queen of Oz,” a comedy starring and co-written by Catherine Tate, commissioned by BBC One in the U.K.; “The Messenger,” based on the best-selling novel by Markus Zusak,...
Led by Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens, Lingo Pictures will be ITV Studios’ first-ever Australian scripted label.
Bowden and Stephens will continue to head up the business based in Sydney. Lingo will now be part of the wider ITV Studios Group, under the international production arm led by managing director Lisa Perrin.
Lingo’s recent productions include a second season of “The Secrets She Keeps” for Paramount+, BBC One and Sundance/AMC and the company has also just completed production on the second season of the Foxtel Australia and Sky Original series, “Upright,” starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock (“House of the Dragon”).
Upcoming projects include “Queen of Oz,” a comedy starring and co-written by Catherine Tate, commissioned by BBC One in the U.K.; “The Messenger,” based on the best-selling novel by Markus Zusak,...
- 11/2/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in Australian producer Lingo Pictures — marking its first acquisition in the country.
ITV’s production and sales arm paid an undisclosed amount for the Sydney-based company, which is best known for Upright, the Sky and Foxtel Australia drama starring Tim Minchin and House of the Dragons‘ Milly Alcock. Deadline understands the deal value is in the eight-figure US dollars region.
The deal highlights the growing value international production groups are seeing in Australia, whose favorable tax breaks system is increasingly attractive, and Australian dramas, with Paramount+’s Last King of the Cross one of the most sought-after titles available at Mipcom last month.
Lingo owners Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens will continue to head up Lingo, which will now sit in ITV Studios’ international production arm, which Lisa Perrin leads as Managing Director.
Other international drama labels in the group include Ben Stephenson...
ITV’s production and sales arm paid an undisclosed amount for the Sydney-based company, which is best known for Upright, the Sky and Foxtel Australia drama starring Tim Minchin and House of the Dragons‘ Milly Alcock. Deadline understands the deal value is in the eight-figure US dollars region.
The deal highlights the growing value international production groups are seeing in Australia, whose favorable tax breaks system is increasingly attractive, and Australian dramas, with Paramount+’s Last King of the Cross one of the most sought-after titles available at Mipcom last month.
Lingo owners Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens will continue to head up Lingo, which will now sit in ITV Studios’ international production arm, which Lisa Perrin leads as Managing Director.
Other international drama labels in the group include Ben Stephenson...
- 11/2/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
High-profile talent on both sides of the camera punctuate the four feature films, three television dramas, and one virtual reality project that will share in more than $6.5 million of production funding from Screen Australia.
Recipients include two projects from Lingo Pictures: a second season of Upright with Tim Minchin, and an adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel The Messenger for the ABC. Funding has also been announced for Rolf de Heer’s The Mountain, and Gracie Otto’s feature film directorial debut Seriously Red, executive produced by Rose Byrne, now in post.
The feature films projects are rounded out by Goran Stolevski’s Of An Age, and Spencer and Lloyd Harvey’s Photo Booth.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said it was heartening to see there was no shortage of strong ideas during another challenging year.
“We are proud to announce this impressive slate from...
Recipients include two projects from Lingo Pictures: a second season of Upright with Tim Minchin, and an adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel The Messenger for the ABC. Funding has also been announced for Rolf de Heer’s The Mountain, and Gracie Otto’s feature film directorial debut Seriously Red, executive produced by Rose Byrne, now in post.
The feature films projects are rounded out by Goran Stolevski’s Of An Age, and Spencer and Lloyd Harvey’s Photo Booth.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said it was heartening to see there was no shortage of strong ideas during another challenging year.
“We are proud to announce this impressive slate from...
- 9/23/2021
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Michael Dorman and Jessica de Gouw in ‘The Secrets She Keeps.’
When Lingo Pictures’ The Secrets She Keeps premieres on BBC1 at 9pm on July 6, it will mark a milestone as the first Australian-produced TV drama to screen in primetime on the BBC’s flagship channel – at least in recent memory.
The BBC acquired the UK rights to the psychological thriller commissioned by Network 10, starring Laura Carmichael, Jessica de Gouw, Michael Dorman and Ryan Corr, in February but did not disclose the channel or timeslot.
According to Screen Australia’s records, the only other Australian drama to air on primetime on BBC1 was The Cry, a UK co-production.
Five Bedrooms and A Place to Call Home screened during the daytime on the channel. Picnic At Hanging Rock was on BBC2, Romper Stomper on BBC3 and Mystery Road, Safe Harbour and The Slap on BBC4.
Delighted with the prestige slot,...
When Lingo Pictures’ The Secrets She Keeps premieres on BBC1 at 9pm on July 6, it will mark a milestone as the first Australian-produced TV drama to screen in primetime on the BBC’s flagship channel – at least in recent memory.
The BBC acquired the UK rights to the psychological thriller commissioned by Network 10, starring Laura Carmichael, Jessica de Gouw, Michael Dorman and Ryan Corr, in February but did not disclose the channel or timeslot.
According to Screen Australia’s records, the only other Australian drama to air on primetime on BBC1 was The Cry, a UK co-production.
Five Bedrooms and A Place to Call Home screened during the daytime on the channel. Picnic At Hanging Rock was on BBC2, Romper Stomper on BBC3 and Mystery Road, Safe Harbour and The Slap on BBC4.
Delighted with the prestige slot,...
- 6/26/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
★★☆☆☆ Following the global success of Julian Fellowes' hit British television series, Downton Abbey director Brian Percival now casts his eye over Nazi Germany with an adaptation of Markus Zusak's critically-lauded novel The Book Thief (2013). The film opens to a plummy Roger Allam voiceover as Death, informing us that the Grim Reaper has found himself rushed of his bony feet of late with the rise of the Third Reich. We're then introduced to flaxen-haired orphan Liesel Meminger (cherubic newcomer Sophie Nélisse), who has been adopted by kindly accordion player Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush) and his stern, washerwoman wife, Rosa (Emily Watson).
- 7/9/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
The Coming of Age book has become fodder for dystopian science fiction and fantasy while some of the toughest Worldbuilding is done right here, on the planet Earth. Things don’t get more dystopian than growing up in Nazi Germany during World War II. As captured by Austrian author Markus Zusak, The Book Thief is a harrowing, sorrowful tale about life during wartime. The 2005 novel is amusingly narrated by Death and tells of his fascination with Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse), who comes to his attention when collecting her brother.
The novel has been justly feted over the years and the inevitable film adaptation arrived in November and is now out on disc from 20th Century Home Entertainment. The film is faithful without fully capturing the novel’s tone, aided by some solid performances, excellent production design and a John Williams score that justly earned an Academy Award nomination without imitating his Schindler’s List,...
The novel has been justly feted over the years and the inevitable film adaptation arrived in November and is now out on disc from 20th Century Home Entertainment. The film is faithful without fully capturing the novel’s tone, aided by some solid performances, excellent production design and a John Williams score that justly earned an Academy Award nomination without imitating his Schindler’s List,...
- 3/19/2014
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Despite the interesting subject matter and outstanding performances -- especially by Sophie Nélisse -- Brian Percival's The Book Thief seems to find ways to drain the heart and soul from Markus Zusak's source novel. Percival's biggest failure is his inability to capture the transcendental powers that books have on Liesel. We are never given the opportunity to grasp why books are so meaningful to her, nor to we have the chance to escape with her; instead, Percival traps us in the monocultural monotony of Germany circa 1938, a dour and dreadful world without magic or creativity.
- 3/18/2014
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
New DVD Blu-ray: ' Inside Llewyn Davis,' 'Out of the Furnace,' 'Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
What's It About? Folk singer Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) has a guitar, a dream, and a big orange kitty cat. He's looking for his big break in New York City, but he's too busy being a bit of an aimless schmuck to do anything great. Inspired by the '60s folk scene in Greenwich Village, this comedy/drama has a whole lot of good music performed by stars Isaac, Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, and Adam Driver.
Why We're In: The Coen brothers, a fantastic soundtrack produced by T-Bone Burnett, and one cool cat that rides the subway? We're in.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"George Washington" (Criterion Collection)
What's It About? Writer/director David Gordon Green's feature-length debut is about a group of tweens in North Carolina, and the very bad thing we know they did one summer.
Why...
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
What's It About? Folk singer Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) has a guitar, a dream, and a big orange kitty cat. He's looking for his big break in New York City, but he's too busy being a bit of an aimless schmuck to do anything great. Inspired by the '60s folk scene in Greenwich Village, this comedy/drama has a whole lot of good music performed by stars Isaac, Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, and Adam Driver.
Why We're In: The Coen brothers, a fantastic soundtrack produced by T-Bone Burnett, and one cool cat that rides the subway? We're in.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"George Washington" (Criterion Collection)
What's It About? Writer/director David Gordon Green's feature-length debut is about a group of tweens in North Carolina, and the very bad thing we know they did one summer.
Why...
- 3/11/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
The Book Thief: A VOD Spotlight For the role of Liesel, young actress Sophie Nélisse was an odds-on favorite of the producers and director of The Book Thief. Even Markus Zusak, who wrote the book on which the film was based, felt she was perfect for the role. A potential obstacle to Nélisse taking on the role presented itself via another of her passions. A gifted athlete as well as thespian, she had started doing gymnastics at age 3. By age 6 she was training 16 hours a week, and at 12, she was putting in as much as 30 hours … Continue reading →
The post The Book Thief: A VOD Spotlight appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post The Book Thief: A VOD Spotlight appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 3/11/2014
- by Meredith Ennis
- ChannelGuideMag
While it was momentarily an awards season contender thanks solely to studio-willed exposure, WWII drama “The Book Thief” nonetheless sputtered out upon its Us release, never quite connecting with critics or fans of the best-selling book by Markus Zusak. As the Oscars played out this past weekend with only John Williams’ score gaining a nod, a post-mortem was inevitable—and now the films screenwriter has spoken up first. Following a young German girl (played by Sophie Nelisse) who retreats into a world of books after her neglectful foster parents shelter a young Jewish man during WWII, “The Book Thief” faltered, in our opinion, underneath its director Bryan Percival’s earnest, soft-handed approach. And in a new interview with the film’s screenwriter Michael Petroni, he revealed that his initial draft of the film was a much darker affair than the version that ended up onscreen. “My major disappointment with the...
- 3/6/2014
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
The Lego Movie has spent its third weekend at the top of the UK box office, holding off competition from new releases Non-Stop and Ride Along.
The 3D animated movie earned £3.2 million to secure first place, easily beating out Liam Neeson's airborne thriller - which took £2.6 million, significantly less than his last action outing Taken 2 (£7.3 million in 2012).
The Book Thief, Brian Percival's adaptation of Markus Zusak's acclaimed novel, debuted at number four with animation Mr Peabody & Sherman completing the top five.
Elsewhere, Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy is still performing well post-half-term, earning £658,312 on its third week on release.
This Friday sees high-profile releases in the form of 300: Rise of an Empire and The Grand Budapest Hotel - both are expected to make a dent in the chart.
The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (1) The Lego Movie - £3,266,594
2. (-) Non-Stop - £2,652,364
3. (-...
The 3D animated movie earned £3.2 million to secure first place, easily beating out Liam Neeson's airborne thriller - which took £2.6 million, significantly less than his last action outing Taken 2 (£7.3 million in 2012).
The Book Thief, Brian Percival's adaptation of Markus Zusak's acclaimed novel, debuted at number four with animation Mr Peabody & Sherman completing the top five.
Elsewhere, Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy is still performing well post-half-term, earning £658,312 on its third week on release.
This Friday sees high-profile releases in the form of 300: Rise of an Empire and The Grand Budapest Hotel - both are expected to make a dent in the chart.
The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (1) The Lego Movie - £3,266,594
2. (-) Non-Stop - £2,652,364
3. (-...
- 3/4/2014
- Digital Spy
The Book Thief is a handsomely mounted but strangely pitched adaptation of Markus Zusak's 2005 novel about a young girl in Nazi Germany. The accents grate. Dialogue here is delivered in English but with a Germanic twang and a few German words ("nein!") thrown into the mix. Much of the material is very dark indeed but even against the backcloth of the Holocaust, the film plays like a typical coming-of-age story.
- 2/27/2014
- The Independent - Film
First published in 2005, The Book Thief, by Australian author Markus Zusak, was released to universal critical acclaim, appearing on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 230 weeks. So the film adaption comes with a bit of anticipation from the books numerous fans, and while it is serviceable as book adaptions go, it doesn't really capture the imagination, or deliver the emotional heft of its counterpart. Set in Nazi Germany, during the escalation of the Second World War, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is put for foster care, eventually coming to live with kindly couple Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa Huberman (Emily Watson). Initially unable to read, Liesel's eyes are soon opened up to the world of books, and the truth behind Hitler's regime, when the Huberman's take in and hide Jewish runaway Max (Ben Schnetzer). Already, this synopsis gives you the impression of an uplifting tale of hope blossoming in the face of oppression,...
- 2/27/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Markus Zusak, author of bestselling novel The Book Thief, answers questions from Guardian children's books site members about the film of his book, which is released this week
How did you respond to the news that your book was being adapted, when did the feeling settle in?
When I found out that the film was going to be signed up I thought that it was never going to be made – everyone says that. So I thought that's what would happen and I turned out to be totally wrong. So the feeling didn't really settle in until I found out last year that they were filming in Berlin. That was a shock! And then I thought, right, now I can start worrying...but I never really worried as you can't worry about things you can't control. So I just enjoyed what was happening at every stage.
How involved have you been in the film?...
How did you respond to the news that your book was being adapted, when did the feeling settle in?
When I found out that the film was going to be signed up I thought that it was never going to be made – everyone says that. So I thought that's what would happen and I turned out to be totally wrong. So the feeling didn't really settle in until I found out last year that they were filming in Berlin. That was a shock! And then I thought, right, now I can start worrying...but I never really worried as you can't worry about things you can't control. So I just enjoyed what was happening at every stage.
How involved have you been in the film?...
- 2/25/2014
- by Michelle Pauli
- The Guardian - Film News
The Book Thief is the latest in an ever-increasing line of novels to make their way to the silver screen. Based on Markus Zusak’s bestseller, it tells the story of young orphan Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) who is sent to live with her adoptive family Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) in World War II Germany.
We were lucky enough to interview Watson ahead of The Book Thief’s UK release this week, and the actress talks about the importance of both the book and the screenplay, whether or not she would consider taking on a role such as this without having read the source material, and making the most out of bad situations on set.
The Book Thief opens in UK cinemas on Wednesday.
The post The HeyUGuys Interview: Emily Watson Discusses The Book Thief appeared first on HeyUGuys.
We were lucky enough to interview Watson ahead of The Book Thief’s UK release this week, and the actress talks about the importance of both the book and the screenplay, whether or not she would consider taking on a role such as this without having read the source material, and making the most out of bad situations on set.
The Book Thief opens in UK cinemas on Wednesday.
The post The HeyUGuys Interview: Emily Watson Discusses The Book Thief appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 2/25/2014
- by Amon Warmann
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
As with films such as Life is Beautiful and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, it’s always fascinating to delve into the horrors of war from a child’s innocent eyes, witnessing such undignified brutality from a naïve, blissfully ignorant perspective. Succinctly highlighting the futility of it all, Brian Percival’s The Book Thief feels suitably watered down, pinpointing death and destruction without feeling torturous. However what transpires is a disengaging, emotionally detached title, as a film that truly struggles to move you, despite the magnitude and poignancy of the themes explored.
Based on Markus Zusak’s bestselling novel, our entry point is the young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), who is separated from her communist mother and taken in by a German couple, Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) – the former a benevolent, affable man, the latter not quite so much. Soon this seemingly placid environment becomes a theatre of conflict,...
Based on Markus Zusak’s bestselling novel, our entry point is the young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), who is separated from her communist mother and taken in by a German couple, Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) – the former a benevolent, affable man, the latter not quite so much. Soon this seemingly placid environment becomes a theatre of conflict,...
- 2/24/2014
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Markus Zusak's acclaimed novel The Book Thief comes to the big screen this Wednesday (February 26) with Sophie Nélisse leading an all-star cast for director Brian Percival
With narration by none other than Death himself, the drama tells the story of a young girl called Liesel (Nélisse) who is sent to live with foster parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) while Germany is in the grip of World War II.
"Writing that book killed me, in the best possible way," Zusak told Digital Spy and other journalists at a New York roundtable interview.
"It meant everything to me. I have been happy to let the book go, that was probably the smartest thing to do and I think it was put in very respectful hands."
Despite not being involved with the making of the film, the Australian author is happy with the final result, heaping praise on 13-year-old Nélisse's portrayal of the protagonist,...
With narration by none other than Death himself, the drama tells the story of a young girl called Liesel (Nélisse) who is sent to live with foster parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) while Germany is in the grip of World War II.
"Writing that book killed me, in the best possible way," Zusak told Digital Spy and other journalists at a New York roundtable interview.
"It meant everything to me. I have been happy to let the book go, that was probably the smartest thing to do and I think it was put in very respectful hands."
Despite not being involved with the making of the film, the Australian author is happy with the final result, heaping praise on 13-year-old Nélisse's portrayal of the protagonist,...
- 2/24/2014
- Digital Spy
On ABC's Wednesday sitcom "Suburgatory," which launched a new season in January, Jeremy Sisto plays George Altman, an architect and single father of a teen daughter (Jane Levy) who moves to the suburbs to give her a better life. He discovers life there is different, but whether it's better is a work in progress.
In real life, Sisto is a 39-year-old father of two: daughter Charlie and baby son Bastian. He got married to wife Addie a few months after his daughter was born, but Sisto has no regrets about taking the plunge.
"I love my family," he tells Zap2it. "I have a great wife. It took me a while to figure that out and commit, but now I'm really happy I did. She's a human being, and we're committed to each other. It's a nice thing. The kids are just amazing. It's a different level."
As to whether...
In real life, Sisto is a 39-year-old father of two: daughter Charlie and baby son Bastian. He got married to wife Addie a few months after his daughter was born, but Sisto has no regrets about taking the plunge.
"I love my family," he tells Zap2it. "I have a great wife. It took me a while to figure that out and commit, but now I'm really happy I did. She's a human being, and we're committed to each other. It's a nice thing. The kids are just amazing. It's a different level."
As to whether...
- 2/19/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
There were a lot of book adaptations that hit theaters towards the end of the year. While big budget films like The Hunger Games and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug made a big splash at the box office, lower budget options like The Book Thief still managed to touch hearts. If you are a fan of the tale based on the popular Young Adult novel by Markus Zusak or simply would like to give it a shot, you can catch The Book Thief when it hits Blu-ray and DVD on March 11. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment also plans to make an early digital release of the film available, with those copies hitting the market on February 25. Set in Nazi Germany during World War II, the story follows Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), an orphaned young lady who is interested in reading. When Nazi factions begin burning books in her hometown, she...
- 1/15/2014
- cinemablend.com
Adrien Brody, Sam Neill, Bruce Spence, Robin McLeavy and Anna Lise Phillips are shooting Backtrack, a psychological thriller from writer-director Michael Petroni. Jamie Hilton, who is producing with Petroni, his partner in See Pictures, and Antonia Barnard, says the project was relatively easy to finance. That was due primarily to how sales agents, distributors and other financiers responded to Petroni.s screenplay, the saga of psychologist Peter Bowers who discovers his patients are the ghosts of people who died in an accident 20 years earlier. Another advantage during the financing was that Petroni.s status as a writer was rising as The Book Thief, his adaptation of the Markus Zusak novel, started shooting in Germany. Screen Australia, UK-based sales agent Bankside and Oz distributor Madman Entertainment came on board before Brody, an Oscar winner for The Pianist and who starred in Midnight in Paris and The Brothers Bloom, was attached. The other participants are Screen Nsw,...
- 1/13/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Here's a brand new poster for The Book Thief, the forthcoming World War II drama. An adatation of the novel by Australian author Markus Zusak, it stars Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as foster parents to a plucky young girl learns during read amid the Nazi book burning in wartime Germany. The official synopsis reads thus: "Directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey), The Book Thief is based on the beloved international bestselling book and tells the story of Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), an extraordinary and courageous young girl sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany.
- 1/10/2014
- Sky Movies
Update: Terence Winter's screenplay for "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Saving Mr. Banks" by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith and Destin Cretton's award-winning script for "Short Term" 12 are now all available online here via Blue Cat.Earlier: All of the award season screenplays are now available online. In the glut of promotional material sent out to Academy members at this time of year, clearly many films are adapted from real books, including Marcus Luttrell's "Lone Survivor," Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief," Solomon Northup's "12 Years a Slave," Martin Sexsmith's "Philomena" and Will Haygood's "The Butler." Also arriving on voters stoops so far are screenplays for the Coen brothers' original "Inside Llewyn Davis," Tracy Letts' adaptation of his play "August: Osage County," John Ridley's "12 Years a Slave" and Danny Strong's "The Butler."In the Screenplay categories for the Oscars, every year a number of...
- 12/26/2013
- by Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Emily Watson and up-and-coming actor Ben Schnetzer star in The Book Thief, the filmic adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel of the same name. Both Watson and Schnetzer, who act alongside Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush, sat down with Uinterview to chat about the WWII-era film.
Emily Watson Talks 'The Book Thief'
In The Book Thief, Watson plays Rosa – one half of a German couple that takes in a Jewish refugee who develops a deep bond with their adopted daughter Liesel (Sophie Nélisse). Watson appreciates the predicament that non-Jewish Germans faced – the decision between focusing on saving one’s on skin, or offering protection to a persecuted neighbor. While Rosa seems like someone who’d shut the door, the character is surprisingly compassionate.
”Do you betray your neighbor? Do you keep your mouth shut?” asked Watson. “I thought that was very interesting, for me, playing somebody who,...
Emily Watson Talks 'The Book Thief'
In The Book Thief, Watson plays Rosa – one half of a German couple that takes in a Jewish refugee who develops a deep bond with their adopted daughter Liesel (Sophie Nélisse). Watson appreciates the predicament that non-Jewish Germans faced – the decision between focusing on saving one’s on skin, or offering protection to a persecuted neighbor. While Rosa seems like someone who’d shut the door, the character is surprisingly compassionate.
”Do you betray your neighbor? Do you keep your mouth shut?” asked Watson. “I thought that was very interesting, for me, playing somebody who,...
- 12/5/2013
- Uinterview
Chicago – On November 27th, “The Book Thief” opened everywhere across the country. The film was adapted from a popular novel by Markus Zusak, and involves a book loving girl navigating the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II, living in a foster home in Berlin. Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush portrays her foster parent, Sophie Nélisse is the girl and Brian Percival (“Downton Abbey”) directed the film.
Last month, the trio came to Chicago to walk the Red Carpet before the film’s debut at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival. HollywoodChicago.com was there, and captured the images and interviews that night.
Geoffrey Rush, Portrays Hans in “The Book Thief”
Geoffrey Rush is one of the most recognizable and popular character actors of the current film era. After a distinguished stage career, he broke through in 1996, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Shine.” He solidified his...
Last month, the trio came to Chicago to walk the Red Carpet before the film’s debut at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival. HollywoodChicago.com was there, and captured the images and interviews that night.
Geoffrey Rush, Portrays Hans in “The Book Thief”
Geoffrey Rush is one of the most recognizable and popular character actors of the current film era. After a distinguished stage career, he broke through in 1996, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Shine.” He solidified his...
- 11/28/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
When Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief hits bookshelves in 2005, one critic referred to it disdainfully as “Harry Potter and the Holocaust.” This reaction likely spurred from that decade’s ubiquitous Holocaust literature aimed at teens; among them, Everything is Illuminated and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which received lesser film adaptations. However, Zusak’s novel was a book of deep feelings and big thrills, with an aching humanity filling the story and the haunting spirit of Death narrating. It was a vibrant tale set against a dismal wartime backdrop. Brian Percival’s film adaptation, in comparison, is too plain, lacking any of the dynamism that drove Zusak’s bestseller.
The Book Thief follows the life of young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse), a nine-year-old girl abandoned by her mother and left in the custody of Hans and Rosa Huberman (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson). Liesel is quiet, with sorrow-filled eyes,...
The Book Thief follows the life of young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse), a nine-year-old girl abandoned by her mother and left in the custody of Hans and Rosa Huberman (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson). Liesel is quiet, with sorrow-filled eyes,...
- 11/20/2013
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
"The Book Thief" might be flying under the Oscar radar, but it's still a gentle gem worth considering. True, it's old-fashioned and sentimental while contemplating the vicarious power of storytelling. But it's a unique Holocaust story told from a child's point of view as well as Death's (adapted from the best-seller by Markus Zusak). And that's what attracted Dp Florian Ballhaus, best known for comedy ("The Devil Wears Prada"), and the son of the great cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (who's worked with both Fassbinder and Scorsese). "I enjoyed how it dealt with innocence and guilt through the eyes of children and their everyday lives," Ballhaus says. "In a way it legitimizes the simplicity or the sense of brutality that is shown from a kid's point of view in that world." Directed by Brian Percival ("Downton Abbey") with attention to innocence, Ballhaus insists that it was important not to be confined to one look.
- 11/15/2013
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
Chicago – Brian Percival’s “The Book Thief,” from the hit book by Markus Zusak, is a well-intentioned piece of work that nonetheless fails, sometimes spectacularly, to connect in the ways that its creators intend.
Tonally adrift between something clearly aimed at young adults and something much darker and more cynical about the nature of man and the afterlife, the film is only carried at all by the strengths of its talented leads – Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and the remarkable Sophie Nelisse.
Try as they may, these talented performers can’t overcome the overall work’s notable flaws, even if one senses that the hearts of all involved are in the right place.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
Zusak’s book was narrated by Death himself and Percival and his team make the daring move of keeping a lot of that narration intact. So “The Book Thief” opens with a the voice of Death (Roger Allam...
Tonally adrift between something clearly aimed at young adults and something much darker and more cynical about the nature of man and the afterlife, the film is only carried at all by the strengths of its talented leads – Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and the remarkable Sophie Nelisse.
Try as they may, these talented performers can’t overcome the overall work’s notable flaws, even if one senses that the hearts of all involved are in the right place.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
Zusak’s book was narrated by Death himself and Percival and his team make the daring move of keeping a lot of that narration intact. So “The Book Thief” opens with a the voice of Death (Roger Allam...
- 11/15/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Book Thief
Written by Michael Petroni
Directed by Brian Percival
USA, 2013
We have, by now, seen so many stories set during the Second World War that to attempt a new one means that a writer has to come up with a new angle, something so fresh that no one’s seen it before. Anyone can craft a tale of a young girl’s coming of age in Nazi Germany; even if the intent is to create and develop multi-faceted characters, not just howling, evil goose-steppers, there has to be a hook. For better or worse, The Book Thief, based on the popular young adult novel of the same name, does have a hook to set itself aside from every other World War II drama. The problem is, unfortunately, that the hook is massively misguided.
Ironically, The Book Thief might have been a bit more generic and pedestrian if it weren’t narrated by Death,...
Written by Michael Petroni
Directed by Brian Percival
USA, 2013
We have, by now, seen so many stories set during the Second World War that to attempt a new one means that a writer has to come up with a new angle, something so fresh that no one’s seen it before. Anyone can craft a tale of a young girl’s coming of age in Nazi Germany; even if the intent is to create and develop multi-faceted characters, not just howling, evil goose-steppers, there has to be a hook. For better or worse, The Book Thief, based on the popular young adult novel of the same name, does have a hook to set itself aside from every other World War II drama. The problem is, unfortunately, that the hook is massively misguided.
Ironically, The Book Thief might have been a bit more generic and pedestrian if it weren’t narrated by Death,...
- 11/15/2013
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
The multi award winning novel The Book Thief by Australian author Markus Zusak is set in World War II in a small German town. The town is disturbingly brilliant as red and black Nazi flags are everywhere. Death, the narrator, introduces Liesel, a little girl sent to live with foster parents when her young mother gives her up. With her new family she feels warm and safe, but Nazi storm troopers are in the neighbourhood rooting out Jews. A Jewish family friend shows up badly beaten, and hides in their basement. Every move must be measured so as not to stir up the suspicions of the Nazis or the neighbors. The book which remained on the NY Times bestsellers...
- 11/12/2013
- by Anne Brodie
- Monsters and Critics
Based on the beloved bestselling novel, The Book Thief tells the inspiring story of a spirited and courageous young girl named Liesel, who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany.
For Liesel, the power of words and of imagination becomes a means of escape – and even joy – from the tumultuous events enveloping her and everyone she knows and loves. She is The Book Thief’s heart and soul.
Indeed, it is heart and soul – as well as triumph and perseverance – that drive the film, which is rich in themes and characters that will resonate for every generation. A moving and poignant portrait of the resiliency of the human spirit, this life-affirming tale contrasts innocence (as embodied by Liesel) with the pervasive tyranny that marked the times and her homeland.
Tm and © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
For Liesel, the power of words and of imagination becomes a means of escape – and even joy – from the tumultuous events enveloping her and everyone she knows and loves. She is The Book Thief’s heart and soul.
Indeed, it is heart and soul – as well as triumph and perseverance – that drive the film, which is rich in themes and characters that will resonate for every generation. A moving and poignant portrait of the resiliency of the human spirit, this life-affirming tale contrasts innocence (as embodied by Liesel) with the pervasive tyranny that marked the times and her homeland.
Tm and © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
- 11/11/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – Markus Zusak’s hit young adult novel “The Book Thief” is making the transition from book to screen this week when the film, which had its Windy City premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival, makes it theatrical debut.
When the movie premiered here, director Brian Percival, a vet of “Downton Abbey,” Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, and the incredibly talented future star Sophie Nélisse (who stole “Monsieur Lazhar”) sat down to talk to us about their work. Nélisse stars as Liesel, a young girl taken in by a kind couple (Rush & Emily Watson) in Germany just before World War II. When her new parents also take in a Jewish refugee as tensions grow in the small town, Liesel learns lessons about loyalty and courage.
Hollywoodchicago.Com: Who was familiar with the book?
Brian Percival: I don’t think any of us were familiar with the book actually when we got the screenplay.
When the movie premiered here, director Brian Percival, a vet of “Downton Abbey,” Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, and the incredibly talented future star Sophie Nélisse (who stole “Monsieur Lazhar”) sat down to talk to us about their work. Nélisse stars as Liesel, a young girl taken in by a kind couple (Rush & Emily Watson) in Germany just before World War II. When her new parents also take in a Jewish refugee as tensions grow in the small town, Liesel learns lessons about loyalty and courage.
Hollywoodchicago.Com: Who was familiar with the book?
Brian Percival: I don’t think any of us were familiar with the book actually when we got the screenplay.
- 11/11/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
You can easily forget that Quebec's Sophie Nélisse is just a kid when watching her so expertly play Liesel Meminger in the WWII drama The Book Thief.
With pain, confusion and grief clouding her doll-pretty face as she’s confronted by the death of her younger brother and abandoned by her Communist mother, thrust into a new family complete with adoptive mother Rosa (Emily Watson) and father Hans (Geoffrey Rush), Liesel lives a life well beyond her, and Nélisse's, young years, with only stolen, or borrowed books, letting her temporarily escape her harsh reality.
But when the 13-year-old Genie, Jutra and Hollywood Film Award winner waltzes into the room at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto, she's all smiles, gabbing with child-like enthusiasm about her home province's best invention – poutine, duh – before sitting down between her co-star Rush and director Brian Percival to talk about their adaptation of Markus Zusak's best-selling novel.
With pain, confusion and grief clouding her doll-pretty face as she’s confronted by the death of her younger brother and abandoned by her Communist mother, thrust into a new family complete with adoptive mother Rosa (Emily Watson) and father Hans (Geoffrey Rush), Liesel lives a life well beyond her, and Nélisse's, young years, with only stolen, or borrowed books, letting her temporarily escape her harsh reality.
But when the 13-year-old Genie, Jutra and Hollywood Film Award winner waltzes into the room at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto, she's all smiles, gabbing with child-like enthusiasm about her home province's best invention – poutine, duh – before sitting down between her co-star Rush and director Brian Percival to talk about their adaptation of Markus Zusak's best-selling novel.
- 11/11/2013
- by Andrea Miller
- Cineplex
The Norse god's return gives Marvel Studios the ninth biggest November opening weekend in history
• Thor: The Dark World – review
• More Us box office analysis
Thor delivers hammer blow
He's landed in North America with a big thump. Chris Hemsworth returns as the caped god of thunder in Thor: The Dark World and the results were impressive as an estimated $86.1m (£54m) delivered the ninth biggest November opening weekend in history. That was considerably bigger than the 2011's original's $65.7m (£41m) bow and propelled Marvel Studios' superhero saga to $327m (£204m) worldwide through distributor Disney, factoring in the $241m (£151m) international running total. A $600m (£375m) worldwide finish is not out of the question.
The Book Thief: a quiet, but confident opening
Early reviews for Markus Zusak adaptation The Book Thief have been encouraging and it looks like Fox is taking the softly softly approach on its potential awards contender,...
• Thor: The Dark World – review
• More Us box office analysis
Thor delivers hammer blow
He's landed in North America with a big thump. Chris Hemsworth returns as the caped god of thunder in Thor: The Dark World and the results were impressive as an estimated $86.1m (£54m) delivered the ninth biggest November opening weekend in history. That was considerably bigger than the 2011's original's $65.7m (£41m) bow and propelled Marvel Studios' superhero saga to $327m (£204m) worldwide through distributor Disney, factoring in the $241m (£151m) international running total. A $600m (£375m) worldwide finish is not out of the question.
The Book Thief: a quiet, but confident opening
Early reviews for Markus Zusak adaptation The Book Thief have been encouraging and it looks like Fox is taking the softly softly approach on its potential awards contender,...
- 11/11/2013
- by Jeremy Kay
- The Guardian - Film News
On a train ride to a new life, 10-year old Liesel looks at her mother cradling her younger brother and makes a horrible discovery; her sibling has stopped breathing. Later, at a quickie funeral, Liesel snatches up a tiny black book a gravedigger left behind on the snowy ground. The thing is, she can't read. And that is just the beginning of her hurdles. She also can't stay with her communist-supporting mother so she ends up with a new momma and poppa. In Nazi Germany. Based on the international bestselling book by Markus Zusak, The Book Thief follows the journey of an extraordinary, spirited young girl. As she gets to know her new parents and a secret guest that lives in the basement, Liesel learns to read,...
- 11/11/2013
- E! Online
I periodically moderate Q&As with people who worked on Oscar contenders following the official screenings of their film at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On Nov. 3, I moderated one such conversation that was particularly enjoyable for me and, I sensed, a roomful of Academy members. After a well-received screening of 20th Century Fox's The Book Thief, an adaptation of Markus Zusak's 2006 novel of the same title that was released nationwide on Friday, I sat down with the film's director Brian Percival, supporting actor Geoffrey Rush and lead actress Sophie Nelisse, who is just 13.
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- 11/10/2013
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Word-of-mouth propelled Fox 2000's The Book Thief to a solid opening at the North American box office despite mixed reviews. The Nazi drama, from Downton Abbey director Brian Percival and based on Markus Zusak's novel, grossed $108,000 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a location average of $27,000, the best of the weekend. The movie got off to a soft start Friday, but recovered to some degree when traffic shot up 80 percent on Saturday, compared to the expected 40 percent to 45 percent. "Word of mouth is clearly kicking in,"
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- 11/10/2013
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ender's Game Falls from Charts Rapidly. The Book Thief Turns in Big Per-Theater Average. Marvel's Thor: The Dark World distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures impressed this weekend with a huge $86.1 million debut. while the second, third and fourth films all turned in very similar grosses. Thor 2 easily trounced the first film's $65.7 million back in 2011, and is now the 9th biggest November opener of all time, falling just behind Sony's Skyfall last year, which made $88.3 million, according to Rentrak. The Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins and Renee Russo starrer is also the 4th best opening weekend of 2013 behind Paramount Pictures' Iron Man 3 with $174.1 million, Man of Steel ($116.6 million and Fast & Furioius 6 which made $97.4 million. IMAX also impressed with the global cume for the film looking to be somewhere around $11 million, with $5.3 million of that total coming from domestic showings. Alan Taylor directs the...
- 11/10/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
20th Century Fox's "The Book Thief" opens in limited release today and it's landed with something of a thud. Reviews are very mixed (and that might be kind) and there's little pre-release buzz about the film. That being said, this was always a tough sell for Fox. The film's biggest names are Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson, the movie did not make a splash at any of the major fall festivals (it debuted at Mill Valley) and feels more like an Oscar bait movie than it probably should, being based on a popular novel by Markus Zusak set in Germany during...
- 11/9/2013
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
"The Book Thief," adapted from Markus Zusak's best-selling novel, is a well-meaning re-telling of the oft-told tale: the Holocaust was a time of unimaginable horror, but even during the worst moments of man's inhumanity to man, there were good people around who adopted the children of Communists and sheltered Jews in their basements. Anyway, that's what kindly Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush) and his cranky-but-with-an-eventually-revealed-heart-of-gold wife Rosa (Emily Watson) do. Their ward, Liesel (Sophie Melisse) arrives at their home illiterate, and Hans not only teaches her to read, but turns their basement walls into blackboards covered with words from their studies. The basement eventually also houses sickly Max Vandenburg (Pierre Clementi lookalike Ben Schnetzer), the son of a man who saved Hans' life during the first World War. Liesel crushes on the dark beauty (who wouldn't?), while a classically Aryan-looking classmate, blond Rudy, (Nico Liersch) pursues her...
- 11/8/2013
- by Meredith Brody
- Thompson on Hollywood
The biggest question The Book Thief faces is to wonder why it's a story worth telling at all. Being a World War II film, it ticks off plenty of the expected boxes and plays heavily on the horrors of life amid air raids, fear of speaking your opinion in the open or even smiling. It has its share of villains, aggressive speeches, Jews hiding in basements and a core set of protagonists with large hearts and strong performances. You can probably quickly rattle off ten such WWII films that accomplish the exact same goal, some better than others, some great and some you'd prefer never hearing from again. What is it that sets one film apart from the nextc With The Book Thief, adapted by Michael Petroni (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) from Markus Zusak's highly acclaimed 2006 novel, I found myself flip-flopping between feelings...
- 11/8/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
With its rich photography, lush score, and feel-good script with a bite, it's easy to dismiss The Book Thief as an old-fashioned throwback film. So easy, in fact, that that's what I'm about to do.Based on a much-loved, much book-clubbed novel by Markus Zusak, this is the tale of what the poster describes as "courage beyond words". In fairness to the narrative, the film does start out with appropriate moments of bleakness, as a young girl is given up for adoption to a German couple as the fires of the Third Reich begin to burn in earnest. Precocious yet effective, young Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse's turn as Liesel provides the core of the narrative, and she does exactly what the script calls for. The same...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
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- 11/8/2013
- Screen Anarchy
It had to happen: There’s so much voiceover narration in today’s movies, so much needless verbal play-by-play, that it was only a matter of time before somebody made a picture narrated by that life of the party himself, Death. The Grim Reaper delivers the opening monologue of The Book Thief, Brian Percival’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s novel about a somber, precocious schoolgirl in Nazi Germany, and his voice sounds a lot like Roger Allam’s, probably because it is Roger Allam’s. You can’t fault that choice: Death probably would sound a lot like an esteemed English character actor. But The Book Thief is just so silly, despite the fact that it deals with a very grave time in history, one in which Death certainly had a...
- 11/8/2013
- Village Voice
Set in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death, “The Book Thief” isn’t your typical young adult movie. That’s why Fox is rolling it out in just four theaters – two in New York and two in L.A. – starting Friday, looking to build buzz and a bit of box office momentum before expanding the tale based on Aussie Markus Zusak’s wrenching 2006 novel. “It’s a wonderful movie, and very much one that needs to be nurtured and given a chance to find its audience,” Fox’s distribution president Chris Aronson told TheWrap. “It has a high-quality cast that came together because they.
- 11/7/2013
- by Todd Cunningham
- The Wrap
Death won’t stop talking in “The Book Thief.” The narrative device, carried over from Markus Zusak’s popular novel, quickly wears out its welcome in the movie: Yes, the Grim Reaper had his hands full during Nazi Germany, but do we really need to hear his recurrent voice-over musings about death? It verges on creepy to hear middle-aged Death (voiced by British stage actor Roger Allam) explain how special he knew young Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) was from the moment he first saw her. Especially considering how family-friendly this well-intentioned survival story is meant to be. See video: Geoffrey Rush,...
- 11/7/2013
- by Diane Garrett
- The Wrap
Based on the bestselling novel by Markus Zusak, The Book Thief shows us World War II through the eyes of a young, illiterate German girl. I spoke with Oscar-nominated actress Emily Watson, director Brian Percival and 13-year-old star Sophie Nélisse about filming this different view of history. Emily Watson Q: Rosa's such a memorable character. How much of her did you read on the page and how much of her came from your imagination? Emily Watson: Well, she's very full in the book; she's a full very character. I relished the opportunity to go somewhere and be quite unpleasant and I think that that was very necessary for the beginning of the movie because you're seeing everything from Liesel's point of view. You want her...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 11/7/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Based on the Markus Zusak book, Brian Percival's The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany and tells the tale of a young girl named Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse). Liesel and her brother are given up for adoption, but when her brother passes away en route to their new family, Liesel is sent to Hans and Rosa Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) alone. Even though the Hubermanns barely have enough to support their new family of three, they also take in the Jewish son (Ben Schnetzer) of a man who saved Hans' life in Wwi. Just like Zusak.s book, Percival film adaption will tug your heartstrings until your tear ducts are tapped. However, even though the narrative is a bittersweet tale of a girl who suffers through a vicious cycle of love and loss, Nélisse, Rush and Watson seem...
- 11/6/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Based on the beloved bestselling novel by Markus Zusak The Book Thief is directed by Brian Percival off a screenplay by Michael Petroni and comes to theaters November 15th, 2013. Sony Music is proud to announce the release of renowned composer John Williams’ original motion picture soundtrack of The Book Thief, a moving film by Brian Percival based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Markus Zusak. The Book Thief tells the inspirational story of a spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany. The film stars Academy Award®-winner Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves). The young Canadian Sophie Nélisse takes on the role of their adoptive...
- 11/5/2013
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
Check out this new clip from 20th Century Fox's The Book Thief, starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Joachim Paul Assböck, Kristen Block, Sandra Nedeleff and Rafael Gareisen. In The Book Thief, while subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel (played by Sophie Nélisse) finds some solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Brian Percival directs from the screenplay by Michael Petroni, based on the novel by Markus Zusak. Ken Blancato and Karen Rosenfelt prodice while Redmond Morris serves as executive producer.
- 10/30/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Fox has released a pair of clips from The Book Thief, the upcoming adaptation of Markus Zusak's World War II-era novel, narrated by Death. More importantly, for the studio at least, is they just may have an Oscar contender on their hands as we still have two kudos-heavy months of films yet to hit theaters. I won't be seeing this one for about ten days or so, but I've already heard it sports some solid performances from Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and youngster Sophie Nelisse, but the studio is going to have to play this one right in order to gain attention. amz asin="0375842209" size="small"The film follows the story of Liesel Meminger (Nelisse), beginning at the age of 9, when she's taken to live with a foster family in a German working-class neighborhood. She arrives having just stolen her first book, "The Gravediggers Handbook", beginning a love affair with books.
- 10/28/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
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