STORMBREAKER

SAMUELSON PRODUCTIONS, CAPITOL FILMS and THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Director: Geoffrey Sax

Producers: Marc Samuelson, Peter Samuelson, Steve Christian, Andreas Grosch

Cast: Sarah Bolger, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Damian Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo, Alex Pettyfer, Missi Pyle, Andy Serkis, Alicia Silverstone, Ashley Walters and Mickey Rourke


14-year-old Alex Rider has become a hero to countless young people who identify with him around the world. The reluctant teenage spy was introduced in "Stormbreaker", the first book in the best-selling series of his adventures created by novelist Anthony Horowitz. More than 9 million copies have been sold worldwide and now Alex is making his spectacular debut on the big screen.

Alex Pettyfer ("Tom Brown’s Schooldays") beat more than five hundred young applicants in an exhaustive casting search, to win the iconic role of Alex Rider. Mickey Rourke ("Domino", "Sin City") stars as Alex’s nemesis, megalomaniac businessman Darrius Sayle, while BAFTA®-winner Bill Nighy ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest", "Love Actually") is Alex's spymaster at MI6, Alan Blunt, with Oscar®-nominee Sophie Okonedo ("Hotel Rwanda", "Dirty Pretty Things") as his colleague, Mrs Jones. Stephen Fry ("The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy", "Wilde") is featured as Smithers, outwardly an assistant at London's leading toy store, but secretly the creator and provider of exotic gadgetry to the spies of MI6.

Sayle's monstrous PR assistant Nadia Vole is played by Missi Pyle ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story") and Andy Serkis ("King Kong", "Lord of the Rings") is the mutely murderous Mr. Grin. Alicia Silverstone ("Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed", "Clueless") stars as Alex Rider’s friend and housekeeper Jack Starbright and Alex’s fellow student and potential girlfriend Sabina Pleasure is played by Sarah Bolger ("Tara Road", "In America"). Ashley Walters ("Goal!", "Bullet Boy") stars as Special Forces soldier Wolf and Damian Lewis ("Chromophobia", "Band of Brothers") is the ubiquitous Russian assassin Yassen Gregorovich.

Golden Globe nominee Ewan McGregor ("The Island", "Star Wars: Episodes I, II and III") makes a special starring appearance as Alex’s superspy uncle and guardian Ian Rider.

Geoffrey Sax directed STORMBREAKER from a screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, based on his own novel. Sax, whose feature, "White Noise", starring Michael Keaton, was an instant success on both sides of the Atlantic in 2005, has had a varied career, directing award-winning films ranging from "Tipping The Velvet", "Othello" and "Clocking Off" to "The New Statesman".

Anthony Horowitz, the prolific and successful novelist and screenwriter with credits including the TV series "Poirot", "Midsomer Murders" and "Foyle's War", is one of the very few children's book authors who is a household name. He has so far written six Alex Rider adventures, which have been translated into 28 languages. The first in the best-selling series, "Stormbreaker", published in 2000, was named in a nationwide poll of children as the book they most wanted to see turned into a movie.

STORMBREAKER is produced by Marc Samuelson and Peter Samuelson, ("Arlington Road", "Wilde", "Revenge Of The Nerds" and "Tom & Viv") Steve Christian ("Revolver", "The Libertine") and Andreas Grosch ("All the King’s Men", "The Jacket"). Hilary Dugdale, Nigel Green, Anthony Horowitz and Andreas Schmid are executive producers. The line producer is Kevan Van Thompson, with Jessica Parker as associate producer.

The behind-the-camera talent includes cinematographer Chris Seager ("White Noise", "Sex Traffic"), production designer Ricky Eyres ("Alfie", "Saving Private Ryan"), editor Andrew MacRitchie ("Sahara", "Die Another Day"), costume designer John Bloomfield ("Being Julia", "The Mummy"), make-up designer Kirstin Chalmers ("Revolver", "The Wedding Date") and casting director Sarah Bird ("Ladies in Lavender", "Wilde")and composer Alan Parker (“Walking With Cavemen”, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”)

STORMBREAKER’s stunt co-ordinator is Lee Sheward ("The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy", "Sahara") and the legendary master Donnie Yen ("Shanghai Knights", "Hero", "Iron Monkey", "Once Upon a Time in China 2") was responsible for additional martial arts sequences.

The family adventure film was shot over 12 weeks on the Isle of Man, on London locations and at Pinewood Studios. Location managers Jane Soans and Martin Joy ensured that STORMBREAKER’s spectacular action sequences were filmed amidst the rich variety of scenery on the Isle of Man and authentically at some of London’s most familiar locations, including Hyde Park, Piccadilly and the Science Museum.

The Weinstein Company acquired the film’s North American rights and Entertainment Film Distributors pre-bought the UK rights. The film also received National Lottery funding through the UK Film Council's Premiere Fund. International rights to STORMBREAKER have been sold to leading distributors worldwide by Capitol Films.

Isle of Man Film, UK Film Council and Entertainment Film Distributors present STORMBREAKER, a Samuelson Productions and VIP Medienfonds 4 Production in association with Rising Star.