There are films I’ll eventually see this year, then there are films I would do just about anything to get my eyes on. You don’t need to guess which category Tomas Alfredson‘s Let The Right One In follow-up Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy falls into. We knew Universal Pictures acquired the spy thriller starring The Dark Knight Rises leads Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy, but now we have firm plans.
They are joined by Oscar-winner Colin Firth and Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Stephen Graham and Benedict Cumberbatch (who will be seen in Steven Spielberg‘s War Horse and Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit). We now know, thanks to Variety, that Universal’s independent arm Focus Feature, will release the film on November 18th, 2011.
We will likely see the film on fall festival run as well, as producer Doug Urbanski recently stated their “very serious Oscar contender” has been invited to open Venice Film Festival. This November 18th release is prime for awards season, and is the only contender getting released that week so far, next to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part One) and Happy Feet 2 in 3D.
Based on the novel by espionage master John le Carré (The Constant Gardener, The Tailor of Panama), the property has already been turned into a BBC series and radio show. Scripted by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, the Cold War-set thriller follows a retired spy (Oldman) brought in to find a suspected spy within British intelligence agency MI6.
I’m glad we’ll be seeing one of my most-anticipated films before the very end of the year, but I hope that Focus opens it a bit wider than what we’re used to. There definitely seems to be widespread appeal, with the actors and subject matter involved, that could translate into big money for this adult-focused drama. Check back as the fall festival line-up gets announced, where hopefully Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy finds a place.
Are you looking forward to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy? What do you think about the release date?