Sophie Nelisse, Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush star in ‘The Book Thief’.

The Book Thief is an inspirational holocaust drama based on the critically acclaimed best-selling book of the same name by Marcus Zusak. Set in Nazi Germany during World War II, The Book Thief explores the power of family and hope, telling the simple story of a courageous foster child (played by  Sophie Nelisse) that can’t help stealing books. When she is sent to live  with her newly adoptive parents Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech, Shakespeare In Love) and Emily Watson (The Boxer, War Horse), they teach her how to read. Stealing books for fun, turns into stealing books for knowledge, as she shares her books with the town and reads  to the Jewish refugee  Ben Schnetzer (Happy Town, Posh), hiding from the Nazis in her new home.

Bet Schnetzer and Sophie Nelisse in ‘The Book Thief’.

Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) directs from a screenplay by Michael Petroni (The Rite, The Dangerous Life of Altar Boys). 20th Century Fox has bumped forward the release date for The Book Thief  to November 15, allowing for maximum awards season attention. This is probably for the benefit of Rush in particular, who won a Best Actor Oscar for Shine in 1996 and is since thrice nominated, most recently in 2011 for his supporting role in The King’s Speech.

Watch the trailer here: