USA/FILE: Cast of Ben Affleck's film "Gone Baby Gone' weigh in on halt of UK release

Stars at the the premiere of Ben Affleck's directorial debut, "Gone, Baby, Gone" weighed on the movie company decision to halt release of the film in the United Kingdom because of a story line similar to the Madeleine McCann disappearance. Ben Affleck's first outing as a director is "Gone Baby Gone," is a complex thriller based on Dennis Lehane's best-selling novel about the case of a missing 4-year-old girl that is set in a Boston neighbourhood that he also co -wrote and produced. The cast of the film attended the film premiere in Los Angeles, California on Monday (October 8). "There was a couple of levels on one level was the pure story of it was just a raw kind of page turner its a wonderful book by Dennis Lehane. It was kind of pure suspense page turner with these kind of very realistic sort of ripping twists that are sort of not surprising and also very realistic characters that the author didn't judge and continued to evolve morally throughout story. Also in a very real unusual way and underneath that it was dealing with thematically with social, political stuff. Like cycle of abuse and neglect and poverty and addiction in America and underneath there was this give and take between forgiveness and judgment and thejustifying the means and it was kind of like a layer cake like that plus there was some sexiness to it," Ben Affleck said on the red carpet. "Gone Baby Gone", the Oscar winner's first movie as director, tells the fictional tale of Amanda McCready, who is kidnapped from her bed after her parents leave her by herself. Her first name aside, Madeline O'Brien, the actress who plays the missing girl in the film, bears a close resemblance to Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal on May 3. "Well its just unfortunately you know that is reality our story is a work of fiction that was made a year and a half ago so pulling the movie, well it isn't pulled it is just postponed, is just the sensitive thing to do the right thing to do for this family right now. When the timing is right we will go back to London." said Amy Ryan, who portrays the mother in the film said on postponement of the UK release due to Madeleine McCann's disappearance. The film was shot last year before Madeleine's disappearance on holiday in Praia da Luz. It was originally set to be released in the UK in November but has now been postponed indefinitely. "That simply had to do with the fact that while there were similarities between the book, our movie, and that case it just came down to the fact that there is a family there and there is a country that has been exposed to that story and seems to have become to a certain degree emotionally sensitive to it we thought, Disney, thought they would air on the side of good taste and postpone it until it calmed down a little bit. Until it seemed more appropriate, until the time seemed more appropriate and I really thought that was a really good thing," Ben Affleck told Reuters. In a statement, distributor Buena Vista International and its distributor Miramax said they were "sensitive to the depth of feeling surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Affleck's brother Casey, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman star in "Gone Baby Gone" which hits U.S. theatres October 19. "Well I definitely think they made a responsible decision I mean listen we are making a movie this reality for them and I think first and foremost it's important to be sensitive to what's going on there and you know eventually maybe people will see it and if they don't then they don't see it for the right reasons," said actress Michelle Monaghan. Gone Baby Gone was also due to be screened at the 51st London Film Festival, which starts on October 17. "Well I think they did the right thing there really is no choice. If the movie is going to interfere in anyway with any real investigation where real people are involved and especially children you just push the movie off and if you have to put it off indefinitely then so be it it's just a movie," said Casey Affleck the star of the film.

ITN Source | October 10, 2007

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