HBO Acquires Barry Levinson’s THE SURVIVOR, Starring Award-Winning Actor Ben Foster, From BRON Studios And New Mandate Films. The Acquisition Follows The Film’s Successful Launch At The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.
HBO Films has acquired the exclusive North American rights to the acclaimed Harry Haft biopic THE SURVIVOR from New Mandate Films and BRON Studios, in association with Baltimore Pictures, Endeavor Content, USC Shoah Foundation and Creative Wealth Media.
Based on the book “Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano” by Alan Haft, the film was directed by Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson (HBO’s “Paterno,” “You Don’t Know Jack” and “The Wizard of Lies”), whose previous HBO films have amassed a combined 26 Emmys®, with a script by Justine Juel Gillmer (“The 100”).
Check out the synopsis for The Survivor below:
THE SURVIVOR is based on the incredible true story of Harry Haft, who, after being sent to Auschwitz, survives not only the unspeakable horrors of the camp, but the gladiatorial boxing spectacle he is forced to perform with his fellow prisoners for the amusement of his captors. Unbeknownst to those who try to destroy him, Haft is driven by the most important reason any man has to survive, a quest to reunite with the woman he loves. After a daring escape, he makes his way to New York, where he succeeds in using his boxing skills to establish a name for himself in the hopes of finding his one true love. His indomitable spirit lands him in the ring with boxing legends like Rocky Marciano as he fights to make sense of his past and reclaim the life that was stolen from him.
Foster is an award-winning actor on film and stage. For over two decades, his riveting performances have continued to mesmerize audiences. Foster’s standout performance as Haft in THE SURVIVOR received rave reviews, with Awards Daily noting that“it’s an incredible performance from an actor who’s always impressed,” and calling the film Foster’s “career-best work.” THE SURVIVOR reunites Foster with Barry Levinson who cast him in his first film in “Liberty Heights” in 1998.
The film stars Ben Foster (“Leave No Trace,” “Hell or High Water”) as Harry Haft, with Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”), Billy Magnussen (“No Time to Die”), Peter Sarsgaard (“Jackie”), Saro Emirze (“Wilsberg”), Dar Zuzovsky (“Hostages”), Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), and John Leguizamo (“Latin History for Morons”) rounding out the cast.
The HBO acquisition comes on the heels of the film’s world premiere screening at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, which garnered critical praise for the film, direction, and cast performances.
The film’s production was aided by a team at USC Shoah Foundation, who provided detailed historical consulting in addition to access to the testimony of Haft, filmed in 2007 and preserved within USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.
THE SURVIVOR was produced by New Mandate Films’ Matti Leshem (“The Shallows”), BRON Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert (“Bombshell,” “Monster,” “The Front Runner”), Baltimore Pictures’ Jason Sosnoff (HBO’s “Paterno” and “The Wizard of Lies”) and Barry Levinson (“Donnie Brasco,” “Bugsy”) and Scott Pardo (“Hope & A Little Sugar”). Executive Producers are Joel Greenberg, Ben Foster, Danny Devito, Brenda Gilbert, Steven Thibault, Ashley Levinson, Anjay Nagpal, Ron McLeod, Jason Cloth and Richard McConnell.
