Newmarket Films has slotted Peter Weir’s prison escape drama “The Way Back” for domestic release on Jan. 21.
Exclusive Media Group and Newmarket made the announcement Thursday, a day before Weir’s honored with a tribute at the Telluride Film Festival as part of the world premiere for “The Way Back.”
Pic will face competition during the Jan. 21 frame from Paramount’s untitled romantic comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman and Miramax thriller “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.”
“The Way Back” stars Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong and Colin Farrell. Pic chronicles the escape of a small group of multinational prisoners from a Siberian gulag in 1940.
“The Way Back: is the first film produced under the Exclusive Films label to be distributed through its Newmarket Films subsidiary. National Geographic Entertainment and Imagenation Abu Dhabi co-produced the film as part of their joint production agreement. Producers are Joni Levin, Peter Weir, Duncan Henderson and Nigel Sinclair. “The Way Back” has 11 executive producers — Keith Clarke, John Ptak, Guy East, Simon Oakes, Tobin Armbrust, Jake Eberts, Edward Borgerding, Mohamed Khalaf, Adam Leipzig, Scott Rudin and Jonathan Schwartz.
