Fox Searchlight positions 12 Years a Slave for Dec 27th release

Take some big guns and hand them to people who know a little something about sharp aim and hitting hard targets. Earlier today Fox Searchlight announced via Twitter that they have acquired 12 Years a Slave and plan to position Steve McQueen’s film for the final week of awards season. That’s not to say that nobody will get a look until then. We can expect the 12 Years a Slave to make its first appearance on the festival circuit — possibly as soon as May at Cannes.

For anyone who hasn’t already been paying close attention, 12 Years a Slave is McQueen’s 3rd collaboration with Michael Fassbender after Hunger and Shame vaulted them both to the highest ranks of acclaim and prestige. The true story of Solomon Nothrop, based on his 1853 memoir of the years he spent as a free man in New York, kidnapped and sold into slavery from 1841 to 1853. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup, and in addition to Michael Fassbender the film features Adepero Oduye, Alfre Woodard, Ruth Negga, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael K. Williams, Scoot McNairy, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson and Garret Dillahunt.