Newly launched production banner Bridge7 has acquired the film sequel and TV rights to the Academy Award-winning best picture winner Slumdog Millionaire.
The new Los Angeles-based venture is run by producer Swati Shetty and veteran CAA agent Grant Kessman, and the rights were acquired from U.K.-based Celador, which produced and financed the 2008 box office hit in association with the U.K.’s Film4.
Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, starred Dev Patel in his breakout role and Freida Pinto, and earned eight Oscars, including best director and best picture. The film revolved around the adventures of Jamal (Patel) and his older brother, Salim, poor kids from Mumbai who later team up with a beautiful young girl named Latika, played by Pinto.
The death of their mother in a religious riot and their general struggle to survive as kids and young adults are intercut with Jamal’s present-day appearances on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as he inspires the impoverished of an entire nation when his improbable winning streak brings him closer and closer to the grand prize of 25 million rupees.
“Some stories stay with us long after the credits roll, and Slumdog Millionaire is undoubtedly one of them. Its narrative is universal, cutting across cultural and geographical lines and it embodies the kind of stories we love — ones that bridge entertainment with profound human experiences,” Shetty and Kessman said in a statement about the original movie, which also starred Mahur Mittal, Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan.
Celador will work with Bridge7 on the planned sequel. Paytre Topp in Los Angeles and Nick Miller from Simon Muirhead Burton in the U.K. brokered the deal for Bridge7, while Jessica Hudson and James Kay from Sheridans in the U.K. represented Celador International.