Sony Pictures Classics have acquired North American and worldwide airline rights to James Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg” from Walden Media and Bluestone Entertainment, the company announced on Wednesday.
The film, written and directed by Vanderbilt and produced by Walden Media, Bluestone Entertainment and Mythology Entertainment, is a thrilling drama set in post-war Germany based on the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai.
“Nuremberg” stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Rounding out the all-star cast are Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham, Wrenn Schmidt, LotteVerbeek and Andreas Pietschmann.
The film will be released in theaters nationwide on Nov. 7, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Trials.
“Nuremberg” chronicles the true story of the eponymous trials held by the Allies against the defeated Nazi regime. The film centers on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man.
The film is produced by Richard Saperstein, Bradley J. Fischer, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, and Walden Media’s Frank Smith, Benjamin Tappan, and Cherilyn Hawrysh, along with István Major of Filmsquad and George Freeman. Executive producers include Jack El-Hai, Brooke Saperstein, Annie Saperstein, Beau Turpin, W. Porter Payne, Jr., Paul Neinstein, and Széchenyi Funds Géza Deme and Tamás Hajnal.
“I am beyond thrilled to be reuniting with Michael and Tom and the whole Sony Pictures Classics team, who ten years ago took a chance on me as a first-time director, and whose legacy of championing great films makes them an incredible partner,” writer-director James Vanderbilt said in a statement to The Wrap. “’Nuremberg’ explores the fragile boundary between justice and vengeance in the aftermath of unimaginable atrocity. As we approach the 80th anniversary of this unprecedented moment in history, this story feels more urgent than ever, and I can’t wait for audiences to see it on the big screen.”
Sony Pictures Classics added: “Written and directed by James Vanderbilt, ‘Nuremberg’ is a major work, a riveting subject, even more relevant today, that will speak to audiences of all ages. Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Rami Malek, and Leo Woodall are all at their career best here. ‘Nuremberg’ will be a standout in theaters this Fall.”
Vanderbilt previously wrote and directed TRUTH, starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. He also wrote ZODIAC for David Fincher for which he was nominated for a WGA award. He has written and produced over 20 films.
The film is financed by Bluestone Entertainment, Walden Media, and Széchenyi Funds (Budapest, Hungary). Mythology Entertainment developed the project for over a decade after first acquiring the underlying rights to El-Hai’s original article and book in 2011.
WME Independent represented the worldwide rights to the film and negotiated the deal with Sony Pictures Classics on behalf of the filmmakers.
