Alcon Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights to The 33 and announced the film will be released in theaters on November 13. The movie chronicles the real-life rescue of the Chilean miners who were trapped in 2010. Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects), Antonio Banderas (The Expendables 3), and Juliette Binoche (Godzilla) headline the impressive ensemble cast.
Byrne, who joined the project in January of 2014, plays engineer Andre Sougarret, who led the search and rescue efforts that brought the miners home to their families. The movie was directed by Patricia Riggen, whose previous work includes the comedy Girl in Progress (2012) and the drama Under the Same Moon (2007). Earlier this month, The Clouds of Sils Maria starring Binoche and Kristen Stewart got a limited release.
The film fell under legal trouble as it went into production, due to the real-life victims claiming they were misled into signing away their story when their contract was primarily in English. Despite the problems, production never had to stop.
The film’s fall release date gives the impression that Alcon – who will release the film through their distribution deal with Warner Bros. – is hoping this true story will garner a lot of awards attention in the same way that the similarly real-life Captain Phillips received a number of awards nominations in 2013. While the cast is impressive, The 33 doesn’t have the same star power at the center as Phillips had with Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump).
Before the movie hits theaters, you can watch the international trailer below.