LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) Image Entertainment, Inc., a subsidiary of RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), has landed all U.S. rights to the highly-anticipated film Day of the Falcon. Starring Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Sherlock Holmes), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Day of the Falcon is a $40 million production directed by Academy Award winner Jean-Jacques Annaud. The announcement was made by Image Entertainment's Chief Acquisition Officer, Bill Bromiley at the 2012 American Film Market.
Image plans to release the film theatrically after an ultra-VOD release in first quarter 2013. Warner Brothers and Universal
Pictures International released the film overseas. The film had its worldwide premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.
"This is a terrific film for Image," commented Bromiley. "Day of the Falcon has an amazing cast, an award-winning director and terrific visuals. It is truly an epic film and we are proud to be releasing it here in the U.S."
"I'm proud that American audiences will now have the opportunity to experience Day of the Falcon for themselves," said Quinta Communications president Tarak Ben Ammar. "Image Entertainment and Bill have been passionate about the film from the outset. We believe the timing is perfect for a film that sweeps audiences into the heart of the Arabian Peninsula and promises excitement for the whole family."
Day of the Falcon is the story of the rivalry between two Emirs in the Arabia Peninsula in the early
20th Century just as oil is being discovered, and the rise of a young dynamic leader who unites the tribes of the desert kingdom. This epic adventure is an adaptation of Hans Ruesch's classic novel "The Great Thirst" and is a co-production between Quinta Communications and Doha Film Institute. It was shot in Tunisia and Qatar and the cast and crew were first hand witnesses to the birth of the Arab
Spring in Tunisia as they filmed during the revolution there. Day of the Falcon is one of the most ambitious feature films ever to be shot, set and financed out of the Arab world for international audiences.
The deal was negotiated by Bill Bromiley and Jess DeLeo on behalf of Image Entertainment and by Jeff Berg as well as
Brigitte Segal and Tarak Ben Ammar of Quinta Communications for the film.
.jpg)