UNITED KINGDOM: "Stormbreaker", a film adaptation of a successful teenage spy novel, gets world premiere in London

Record ID: 221655

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: "Stormbreaker", a film adaptation of a successful teenage spy novel, gets world premiere in London
  • Date: 20th July 2006
  • Summary: ACTOR EWAN MCGREGOR SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS
  • Embargoed: 4th August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVAAJQCQQZB6DOH3B9XWE0WO7U4L
  • Story Text: Another week and another hero for London movie fans. Only four days after Brandon Routh, the new Superman wowed London's Leicester Square, it was another newcomer, 16-year-old Alex Pettyfer's turn to work the crowds of female fans into a frenzy.
    Pettyfer plays the lead in "Stormbreaker", an adaptation of a successful teenage spy novel, which had its world premiere in London on Monday (July 17), kicking off what its backers hope will be a lucrative film franchise.
    Aiming to go where Harry Potter and James Bond have gone before, the film version of Anthony Horowitz's book of the same name cost around 40 million U.S. dollars (22 million pounds) to make, small fry for Hollywood but large for a British film.
    Horowitz has written six Alex Rider novels, which have sold more than nine million copies worldwide, and plans a seventh due to be published by Walker Books in October, 2007.
    Playing the lead role of Alex Rider is Pettyfer whose previous on-screen experience limited to UK television drama 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' before beating over 500 hopefuls to the job. Pundits predict Pettyfer could become the next child star, and the reception the youngster got as he arrived at the premiere proved their point.
    "I was like 'ugh' and as soon as I got out and I saw all of those people's faces who had been waiting for ages I thought, I remember myself going to Star Wars and all that, waiting for hours just to see Ewan McGregor and now I'm on the red carpet with him and I was just like 'wow' and it's just my dream, you know, satisfied for all the people that came," Pettyfer said about his first red carpet experience.
    The young actor appears alongside Mickey Rourke, Ewan McGregor and Bill Nighy in 'Stormbreaker'. Rourke plays the evil Darrius Sayle, a sinister billionaire bent on wiping out a generation of children, and Rider is forcibly recruited as a child spy to stop him. With the assistance of his American housekeeper Jack Starbright, played by Alicia Silverstone, Alex Ryder sets about stopping Sayle from executing his devious plans.
    Silverstone, who returns to the big screen with 'Stormbreaker' gave her on-screen protege some top tips before they descended on the red carpet.
    "I told him to avoid all the ones that get money out of the autographs. Because you have to divide your time and all these girls are screaming for him and I was like 'go for the kids', not those guys, they'll just sell them," Silverstone said.
    If Pettyfer was excited about sharing the red carpet with McGregor, the 'Trainspotting' and 'Star Wars' star said the young actor stole the show from him - at least in his children's eyes.
    "I took my kids to see it (the film) and some friends of theirs and they really enjoyed it," he said, adding: "They loved it. They loved him, of course. My eldest daughter. She will be very embarrassed that I told you that on television!"
    McGregor added he was pleased to be a part of a British action film, a genre he said was not often made in the UK.
    "No, it's true there's not. And there's no reason why there shouldn't be, yeah. I don't know. What's nice is it's a British story, it was made here and we did a really good job on it, it looks really good, it's exciting," he said.
    Also attending the premiere was Anthony Horowitz, who in addition to writing the successful novels, adapted the book to the big screen.
    As Horowitz took time to sign copies of the novel faithful fans had brought along with them, director Geoffrey Sax admitted to feeling pressured to stay true to the book in order to avoid the wrath of Horowitz's loyal fans.
    "Quite honestly, you read the message boards and it's quite depressing because people treat it like the Holy Grail and in fact, you have to change things for a film, if you just do the book it would make, believe it or, a lesser film. So we decided we needed other elements, we wanted to do a big chase through London at the end, a big spectacular ending so with Anthony's blessing we changed it and he was there every step of the way, really," he said.
    Despite the hype over the Alex Rider franchise, both Sax and Horowitz said it was too early to say whether there would be a sequel to 'Stormbreaker'.
    "Well, you know, obviously the producers are thinking franchise but I am not that sort of a person, for me, all I'm interested in is the next book. It's already in my head to write another Alex Rider book. Maybe if this is a success we will have a second Alex Rider film and that will continue but you know, we will see. A week from now we will know," said Horowitz.
    But even if a second Alex Rider movie is made, it looks likely Pettyfer will not be revisiting the character. Unlike the Harry Potter series, in which the narrative is spread over several years, the Horowitz books are concentrated in one year. Film makers said the 16-year-old had quickly grown out of the 14-year-old Alex Rider's form during the filming of 'Stormbreaker'.
    When asked whether there were any regrets about not being able to revisit the character he had very much made his own, Pettyfer answered like a professional, not admitting nor denying.
    "You know, in some way I have achieved what I wanted to and you know...who knows," he said.
    Stormbreaker is released on July 21 in Britain and August 18 in the United States.
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