Coming off a successful screening at the Venice Film Festival and days prior to its Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) showing, Sony Pictures Classics announced that it would distribute director Richard J. Lewis’ adaptation of the Mordecai Richler comic novel “Barney’s Version.”
Robert Lantos of Serendipity Point Films produced the comedy, featuring Paul Giamatti as the titular character Barney Panofsky, a politically incorrect hockey fanatic and TV producer.
According to “Variety,” Sony Classics would release the film in select theaters in New York, Los Angeles Toronto and Montreal in time for awards season.
“We’ve worked together many times before and I am confident that Michael Barker and Tom Bernard will do a great job promoting “Barney,”” Lantos said.
An impressive cast, including Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver and Rosamund Pike, as well as the cult following for author Mordecai Richler should help Sony Classics promote the film as a prestige picture.
Sony Classic is also the company behind other TIFF 2010 titles “Of Gods and Men,” “Tamara Drew,” “Inside Job,” “The Illusionist” and Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger.”
