DOUBT Will Now Open 2008 AFI Film Festival in LA

Variety is reporting that Miramax's DOUBT will now be the opener for the 2008 AFI FEST in Los Angeles. The film will replace "The Soloist" which was pulled from the festival when Paramount pushed back the film's release until March 2009.

“The movie is still being finished, but we were so excited to show "Doubt" and help our friends at AFI FEST and the American Film Institute at the same time. We couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity,” said Miramax president Daniel Battsek.

The film is due to be released in the United States this December, with a limited release beginning on December 12th. The film will star Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis.

Doubt opened on Broadway on March 9th, 2005 and ran through July 2nd, 2006; it had originally played a hit run at Manhattan Theatre Club. With a Tony-winning performances by Cherry Jones and Adriane Lenox, and Tony-nominated work by Brian F. O'Byrne, the show won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Play in addition to the Pulitzer Prize. Doug Hughes won a Tony for directing the play.

"Set against the backdrop of a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, the show is the story of a strong-minded woman faced with a difficult decision. Should she voice concerns about one of her male colleagues...even if she's not entirely certain of the truth?," stated press notes for the show's Broadway run.

DOUBT is the story of a strong-minded woman faced with a difficult decision. Should she voice concerns about one of her male colleagues...even if she's not entirely certain of the truth?