May 11th will see the release of Joe Cornish’s hoodie Alien Invasion comedy ATTACK THE BLOCK and the trailer is already playing in front of Source Code in UK. The movie has already made its World Premiere at last months SXSW to rave reviews but with the question is it getting released in USA? Well if your American and desperete to see this movie fear not the movie is heading to the US thanks to Screen Gems!
The Sony Pictures distributor has aquired the right to the movie but due to the movie been set in a south London estate the one thing that troubled the American critics was getting a basic grip of the London local dialect. It puzzled some others didnt mind though there was a outburst that the movie should be released in subtitles or without?
Im not disagreeing or agreeing if there should be subtitles, I ask any American movie fan would they be offended if a movie which includes actors or is set in a area of USA say New York or southern States where the accent can be strong to understand would they be offended if the movie was shown in another English Speaking country with subtitles? If American critics have struggled with this movie wait until NEDS is released stateside and try decipher the Glasweigan accent now thats strong as I live near the city!
No word on the release date but here is the offical press release:
SCREEN GEMS TO DISTRIBUTE
JOE CORNISH’S ATTACK THE BLOCK
Studio Acquires U.S. Rights to 2011 SXSW Audience Award
Winning Film from Studio Canal
CULVER CITY, CA April 6, 2011 – Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to ATTACK THE BLOCK written and directed by Joe Cornish. Screen Gems will distribute the highly regarded film which won the Midnight Feature Audience Award at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival. The announcement was made today by SPWA President Steve Bersch and Screen Gems’ President Clint Culpepper.
The London-set action-adventure ATTACK THE BLOCK stars Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, and Nick Frost. The Big Talk Pictures production was produced by Nira Park and James Wilson. Matthew Justice, Tessa Ross, Jenny Borgars, Will Clarke, Olivier Courson, and Edgar Wright executive produced.
Bersch stated, “ATTACK THE BLOCK has already proven to captivate the SXSW audience with its unique and suspense filled plot including our executives Scott Shooman and Lia Buman who saw it during the festival and raved about it. Joe has created a piece of work we know the masses will enjoy and we are thrilled to be bringing it to a larger stage through Screen Gems.”
ATTACK THE BLOCK follows a gang of tough inner-city kids who rob Sam (Whittaker) as she is walking home in a scary South London tower block. She flees when the gang is attacked by a small alien creature which falls from the sky. While Sam and the police hunt for the gang, a second wave of creatures falls. The gang grabs weapons, mount bikes, and set out to defend their turf. But this time, the creatures are much bigger. Savage and bestial, nothing will stand in their way. And the bunch of no-hope kids who just attacked Sam are about to become her only hope.
SPWA’s Michael Helfand and Scott Shooman negotiated the acquisition of ATTACK OF THE BLOCK on behalf of Sony with StudioCanal’s Harold van Lier. The film was co-developed and financed by StudioCanal, Film4 and the UK Film Council with StudioCanal handling worldwide sales and releasing in the UK through its company Optimum on May 11th.
