Rachel Weisz headlines Denial opposite Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall and Andrew Scott
Principal photography has officially commenced this week in London on the true courtroom drama Denial. Based on Deborah E. Lipstadt’s acclaimed book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, Denial stars Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea, The Constant Gardener) alongside two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, Selma), Cannes Award winner Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner, Harry Potter) and BAFTA and BIFA winner Andrew Scott (SPECTRE, Pride). Denial‘s supporting cast includes Caren Pistorius (Slow West), Jack Lowden (War and Peace), Alex Jennings (The Lady in the Van) and Harriet Walter (Suite Francaise).
Adapted for the screen by BAFTA and Academy Award-nominated writer David Hare (The Reader, The Hours), the book recounts Lipstadt’s legal battle for historical truth against David Irving, who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust Denier. In the English legal system, the burden of proof is on the accused; therefore, it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust happened.
The film will be directed by Emmy Award-winner Mick Jackson (Temple Grandin, The Bodyguard) and produced by Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff under Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment (The Soloist), alongside Guy Heeley and Paul Webster of Shoebox Films with Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King as executive Producers. Participant Media developed and financed the project in conjunction with BBC Films, with Christine Langan and Joe Oppenheimer as executive producers.
“We are ecstatic that these talented artists have come together to tell the important story of ‘Denial,'” reads a statement from Foster and Krasnoff. “Mick and this tremendous cast will bring David Hare’s adaptation of Deborah’s story to life in an extraordinary way.”
“This is a vitally important movie which needs to be made now,” adds Jackson. “I’m thrilled to be working with such an amazing cast and delighted they’ll be bringing all their energy and passion to making the film what it truly is – a lesson for our times.”
Cornerstone Films is handling international sales and distribution. Bleecker Street recently acquired the North American distribution rights to Denial.
(Photo credit: Lexi Jones / WENN.com)
