New Regency In Talks To Co-Finance, Distribute ‘Twelve Years A Slave’
EXCLUSIVE: New Regency is in talks to co-finance and distribute (through its output deal with 20th Century Fox) the Steve McQueen-directed Twelve Years A Slave, an adaptation of the Solomon Northup memoir originally published in 1853. Chiwetel Ejiofor will play Northup, and Michael Fassbender will reunite with Shame director McQueen. Fassbender will play a plantation owner. Brad Pitt will play a Northern lawyer who helps free Northup and he and his Plan B banner will produce the film.
Northup was born free but after signing on with two men claiming to be circus promoters who wanted him for his violin skills, Northup was drugged and awoke in a slave pen in DC. He was forced to claim he had been born a slave in Georgia and was transported to Louisiana where he suffered the indignity of slavey and was often beaten brutally. After confiding in a white carpenter from Canada who came to the property to do a job, and who believed Northup’s story, Northup was able to get word to his wife back in New York, who was finally able to start the legal process that allowed Northup to regain the freedom that had been stolen from him.
The cast has been circling the $20 million movie since McQueen decided to direct it when his film Shame began garnering critical acclaim late last year. It was then a matter of CAA finding a way to fund it. River Road’s Bill Pohlad came on to provide a substantial piece of the financing and Summit sold international territories. Now, if the deal with New Regency closes–I hear it’s close to done–the pic becomes a reality with Regency joining Plan B and Pohlad as producers. Shooting starts late June in Louisiana.
It broadens Regency’s relationship with Plan B; New Regency recently came aboard to finance True Story, the Rupert Goold-directed adaptation of a memoir by Michael Finkel, a disgraced New York Times journalist who discovered that an accused murderer had stolen his identity. Once caught, the fugitive would only talk to the journalist. Jonah Hill is playing Finkel and James Franco is set to play Christian Longo, who was captured in Mexico after rising near the top of the FBI Ten Most Wanted List for allegedly killing his family. Production will begin in July and Fox will distribute. Dave Kajganich wrote the script.
Regency and Plan B are also teamed on The Gray Man, a star vehicle for Pitt based on the Mark Greaney novel that was scripted by Adam Cozad, with Plan B and Shine Pictures producing.
Awesome! Chiwetel Ejiofor is such a great talent.
Can’t wait. McQueen’s style is patient and he refuses to spoonfeed the audience. This film will be his biggest in scope thus far and I’m sure he’ll handle it with ease. Should make an interesting contrast to Tarinto’s ‘D’Jango Unchained’… and somewhere Spike Lee is rolling over in his grave.
@mr tibbs
Hopefully Spike Lee won’t begrudge McQueens success. He is incredibly talented unlike Mr Lee’s last foe – Tyler Perry.
I don’t think Spike will begrudge McQueen. But his head will explode when sees D’Jango.
Spike Lee quoted Shame as his favorite movie of last year, so I don’t think he begrudges McQueeen anything. Rather respects him as a fellow talent.
Why is everyone bringing up Spike Lee? Did I miss something?
What? Oh, right, he’s black TOO, therefore… etc., etc.
Get a life.
Classic “divide and conquer.” You know how typically SOME people roll.
HOORAY, ANOTHER SLAVE FILM! Just what African American’s (we) needed! I mean, I have nothing else to identify with other than Slavery and post slavery-Jim Crow south right.
Because 350 years of African-American history are represented by, what? Roots, Amistad and a handful of feature films? There are amazing stories of heroism and endurance to be mined from the period. What the fuck is your problem with this black director and black screenwriter getting the financing together to tell this amazing story?
This is a true story and history needs to be introduced and re-introduced to those who are not aware of the past and to those who are aware but choose to pretend otherwise. McQueen is a director who will do justice to this material. Looking forward to this with much anticipation.
I second your sentiments wholeheartedly. I like McQueen and I wish him nothing but the best and there is nothing wrong with a black screenwriter and a black director receiving financing to do their passion project but if you can’t see these are the not the only stories that we should get to identify with then you are blind. God bless northup and may he rest in peace where ever he is. But I do not identify with him, I do not want to identify with him. There are a gazillion stories about African Americans that can be told that does not involve slavery or ‘the help’ or ‘child abuse’ rape or incest. I think stories like these say more about where we are as African Americans in hollywood. We’re still in slavery? All the great athletes that are African American and how many athletic bio-pics? Jake LaMotta has had more than three bio-pics how many for Sugar Ray Robinson? Who beat Lamotta into retirement as well as three times losing to him once and is universally considered the greatest boxer ever? None. Of course he’s African American. Mickey Ward, a palooka, who would have his lunch taken by Floyd Mayweather has a bio-pic and Mr. Mayweather who is from a real boxing family and has a very interesting life story gets nothing. Oh I know Mickey Ward’s relationship with his brother was compelling…and on and on it goes. If Hollywood didn’t have its head up its ass as Nicki likes to point out. there really is a gold mine out there waiting to be discovered with more than just stories about slaves. I am sure a million slaves haves stories like Northup. Slavery was never legal, not to a slave! A human cannot own another human, not to a slave!!! So if you look at history from the point of view of someone other than a white man you can have just about as many compelling and interesting stories about people who aren’t white. Naturally the numbers of these stories would far exceeed all the stories about great whites.
@S.O.S–Ditto. It’s worthy source material, but I’m soooo over theatrical releases about slavery, maids and “white saviors”.
If this whole thing is as powerfully delivered as McQueen’s other work, this role has serious Oscar potential for Ejiofor, who’s always delivered great work, but never quite had the chance to play in the inner rings of Hollywood buzz-land.
Then again, Fassbender was apparently a shoo-in for ‘Shame’…and look what happened.
Read this script last summer. Nothing new to be seen here, just a really sad story with absolutely no character arc. Think Passion of the Christ but for slavery. Sure the performances may end up being great, but the story is too episodic and disjointed to work as anything other than a clunky biopic
Is the script based on the published book? It’s a true story correct?
True story. Screenplay based upon book written as an original by Solomon Northrup, the title character. In the public domain, so it may be available online. Amazing director with an amazing cast.
Ejiofor has been around for a while, but never quite broken through (the name probably doesn’t help) – this sounds like a great role for him.
Look forward to this project, and hope that the team will not go the easy route and focus on this poor guy who was made a slave. Northup was a master at using his wits to outmaneuver those who threatened him. Though he was in a helpless situation, he was never helpless.
After his rescue, he traveled around, educating people about slavery, and helped others escape it by working on the Underground Railroad. Solomon Northup: His Life Before and After Slavery
Thanks David. I read the book, but I didn’t realize he worked on the Underground Railroad. Hope that detail makes it into the film.
Chiwetel is one of the best actors of his generation and so this should be good.