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The Ghost Currently Delayed Due to Roman Polanski's Arrest

by Alex Billington
September 28, 2009

When the news of Roman Polanski's arrest hit on Sunday morning, I wrote that I was a bit worried that his newest feature film in four years, The Ghost, might end up being delayed. THR reports tonight that that is indeed the case. Polanski's agent, ICM chief Jeff Berg, told them that Polanski had completed much of the editing on The Ghost. But other post-production work, including music scoring and sound mixing, has yet to be done. Apparently there is still "several months" of work left before it's ready to hit theaters. The Ghost also doesn't have a US distributor either, although it does have distribution in many overseas territories.

We actually debuted a very short 15-second teaser for The Ghost back in August, so we know it was at least progressing smoothly. Based on the novel by Robert Harris, the film stars Pierce Brosnan as fictional former British leader Adam Lang and Ewan McGregor as a ghostwriter hired to help complete his memoirs. The cast also includes Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson, Olivia Williams and James Belushi. The film is the first Polanski feature with a US setting since Chinatown in 1974. Locations in Germany had to stand in for the New England settings. Polanski's last films before this were Oliver Twist in 2005 and The Pianist in 2002.

Supporters of Polanski and people like the French Culture Minister and Debra Winger are now fighting for his freedom, although no one is sure when or if that will happen yet. Berg says he's not sure when work will continue on The Ghost, but he's confident that Polanski will put his legal troubles behind him and finish the film. "I'm always optimistic when it comes to Roman," Berg said. "He's strong, and he has survived every situation imaginable." We'll keep you updated on the status of Polanski's arrest and the status of The Ghost.

Explore tags: Indies, Movie News, Opinions

Xerxex

sad for the people who worked hard on the film. But karma is a bitch.
Rorschach90

He drugged and raped a child, and then fled like a coward. Hopefully he gets what's coming to him in prison
http://www.thespeculative.com Marty Martin

The guy deserves to be put behind bars. People make mistakes, I understand. But the guy never faced consequences. Had he faced the consequences like a responsible adult years ago, I would have far more respect for him. The plain fact is that if you are in show business or the music industry, you can do just about anything and be working the next day. Pathetic.
Dan

Everybody runs.
eman

Legal troubles? Like unpaid parking tickets? Behind on child support? Refuses to cut his grass? Do you know the difference between real life and the movies? Polanski is a child-raping beast.
Shane

Free Roman!
beavis

it's too bad for the movie. (i loved the teaser andi'm looking forward to it).........but, this guy needs to go to jail.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Hollywood survives on Child abuse. Look at Disney films, they are nearly as bad as Polanski, but without the drugs and sodomy.
Pickle

Well, ain't that a pickle?...........
smacky63

Free Roman? What an assole.
oboy

Without trying to take sides in this matter, I assume that many of you are unaware Polanski did do 42 days at the Chino Mens Institute in Chino, California for his misdeed. If he were a coward why didn't he flee earlier? The L.A. district attorney's office allowed him to plead guilty to statutory rape as part of a plea bargain. Alleged force therefore is no longer an issue. If you don't like that, then blame the Los Angeles District Attorney's office for going easy on him at the time.
Xerxex

oboy not to be a dick or anything but 42 days in Chino isn't enough, he durgged her and raped her after she said no, he fled before the actual trial. Samantha Geimer has moved on and now has her own family, but Polanski never faced the actual charges. France has hte right to refuse to extradite its own citizens so now after the L.A. District Attorneys fucked up it seems that he might either get a massive fine or anywhere from no sentence to 15 years.
josh

This guy lives in a fantasy world, its time for him to face reality.
Xerxex

Alex while typing this up did you feel like scoffing a little? The way these people who are defending him make it seem like he is the victim. It sorta turns my stomach and make me scoff a lot!
Frank N. Stein

Chino is/was a mental institute...not a prison. He paid off the girl and her family, so of course they want this out of the news. Easy solution. Get a couple of good ol' boys from Cellblock D of your favorite penitentiary, and let them take turns on Polanski's ass for a night...but leave out the wine and drugs so he can feel every little rip and tear... And then, he can finish directing his movie...
moldybread

he admittedly sodomized a 13 year old girl in Jack Nicholsons house...that is unforgivable...and why are we just now hearing about the Nicholson connection to this? I wouldnt bother to urinate on a Polanski film...he should have to do his time...you know how the boys in the slam just looooove pedophiles...serve him right...
oboy

To moldyboy: re: Jack Nicholson. The Nicholson connection was known back then and much publicized. Nicholson's girlfriend Anjelica Huston was there the night of the incident. When police searched the house, they found her in possession of a small amount of cocaine. If my memory is correct, she agreed to testify against Polanski in exchange for drug charges being dropped. To Xerxex: re: L.A. D.A.'s office One can make an excellent argument that the L.A. D.A.'s office went easy on Polanski and should have prosecuted on all charges. They didn't. Whether 42 days was sufficient punishment is a moot point now. I think you have to understand that opposing extradition doesn't mean defending Polanski's initial behaviour. Even the guilty are entitled to fair process. There were procedural flaws. There was clear judicial misconduct. I also do think Polanski would have much less sympathy now if he had fled immediately after being arrested. On the other hand I do believe he should have stayed. Not to "face the music like a man". But because his lawyers could have easily gotten any additional time tacked on overturned on appeal. He probably would have been released on bail while awaiting trial. He was a wealthy man and could afford the best lawyers. I also strongly suspect that the California appellate court at the time was far more liberal than the judge hearing Polanski's trial. The situation isn't as cut and dried as either side suggests. To Frank N. Stein: re: Chino Chino is a prison. It was the first major minimum security institution built and operated in the United States. It houses parolees returning to custody and male felons newly committed to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
bandidojoe

#16. The Nicholson's house thing has been known all along. Not new information. Anyway, let's put Polanski away for a while. 1. Because he still deserves it. and 2. Because then Woody Allen won't have a "scapegoat" out there to make him seem less creepy.
oboy

For those still interested, the L.A. D.A.'s office accepted a plea of unlawful relations with a minor in part because the victim's family requested it. The family did not wish to see Polanski incarcerated, nor did they want a trial. An admission from Polanski that he had relations with a 13 year old was sufficient. The girl's family seemingly had no interest in making Polanski admit to use of force or drugging the girl. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0928091polanskiplea19.html The rest of this document includes Polanski's own plea to the court. The 42 days he served happened after this. Though I don't have the link available, the girl, by her own admission, was not a virgin, and had been sexually active with multiple partners for some time.