Fox Searchlight To Release Steve McQueen’s TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE On December 27

Fox Searchlight Pictures has announced that the company will release Regency Enterprises’ and River Road’s drama TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE. Directed by Steve McQueen (HUNGER, SHAME) and written by John Ridley, based on the book by Solomon Northup, TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender (who starred in McQueen’s previous films HUNGER & SHAME), Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Alfre Woodard, Lupita Nyong’o and Paul Giamatti.

The film is scheduled to be released in theaters right in the middle of Awards season – Friday, December 27, 2013.

TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE is based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (CHIWETEL EJIOFOR), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by MICHAEL FASSBENDER), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (BRAD PITT) will forever alter his life.

The film is produced by Brad Pitt, DeDe Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Bill Pohlad, Arnon Milchan, and Anthony Katagas.