Academy Award® Winners Tim Robbins and Martin Landau Round Out Cast of Walden Media and Playtone’s “City Of Ember”

Academy Award® nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste and newcomer Harry Treadaway also join cast of film directed by Gil Kenan and produced by Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks

July 12, 2007


LOS ANGELES (July 11, 2007) — Academy Award® winners Tim Robbins (“Mystic River”) and Martin Landau (“Ed Wood”), Academy Award® nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Secrets and Lies”) and newcomer Harry Treadaway have joined the cast of Walden Media and Playtone’s “City of Ember”. They join a cast that includes Academy Award® nominee Bill Murray, Toby Jones and Saoirse Ronan. The film opens in theatres October 10, 2008 and will be distributed by Twentieth Century Fox and marketed by Fox Walden, the joint venture co-owned by Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media.

Robbins plays a resourceful inventor harboring a secret about the history of Ember. Treadaway plays his son Doon, an idealistic, rebellious teen determined to save his city from oblivion. Jean-Baptiste plays Clary, a no-nonsense greenhouse worker and trusted confidante of Lina (Ronan). Landau plays Sul, Doon’s boss in the mysterious Pipeworks. For generations, the people of the City of Ember flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember’s once powerful generator is failing . . . and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city’s existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever.

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Gil Kenan (“Monster House”), “City of Ember” is currently shooting in Belfast, Northern Ireland in a converted hangar that once served as the construction site for the original Titanic. Playtone’s Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks will serve as producers, with John D. Schofield executive producing. Summit Entertainment is handling international sales for the film. 

Robbins will be seen later this year in the Neil Burger-directed Lionsgate film “The Return” with Rachel McAdams. Landau recently made a series of memorable guest appearances on the HBO series “Entourage” and wrapped production on the independent film “Harrison Montgomery”, in which he played the title role. Jean-Baptiste, who gained critical acclaim for her portrayal of Special Agent Vivian Johnson in “Without A Trace”, is entering her sixth season on the hit CBS show. Treadaway, who first gained attention playing a conjoined twin with his brother Luke Treadaway in the 2005 film “Brothers of the Head”, can currently be seen on the Showtime series “Meadowlands”.

Walden Media head of production Alex Schwartz and creative executive Bonnie Solomon are overseeing the project for the company. Executive vp of business and legal affairs Jim Meenaghan negotiated the deals on behalf of the company.

About Walden Media
Walden Media specializes in entertainment that sparks imagination and engages young people in the learning process. Producing both original works and adaptations of acclaimed children’s literature, Walden Media projects are enhanced by comprehensive outreach and supplemental programs for teachers, librarians, and parents. In August 2006, Walden Media entered into a joint venture with Twentieth Century Fox to market and release family films for audiences of all ages.

About Playtone
Playtone’s Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are currently producing “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Mamma Mia,” and “The Great Buck Howard”. They are executive producers of the upcoming seven-part HBO mini-series “John Adams” as well as the HBO Golden Globe-nominated series “Big Love.”  “Band of Brothers,” which they executive produced for HBO, earned both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series.  Playtone’s additional motion picture productions include “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “The Polar Express,” “The Ant Bully,” “Magnificent Desolation” (filmed in 3D, Imax), “Neil Young: Heart of Gold” and “Starter for Ten.”

About Fox Filmed Entertainment
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Atomic, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

About Fox Walden
Fox Walden specializes in marketing entertainment for movie audiences of all ages. Formed in 2007, the company is responsible for marketing select Twentieth Century Fox Films and all Walden Media films. Maintaining its own creative marketing, publicity and promotions operations, Fox Walden-marketed releases are distributed domestically by Twentieth Century Fox.