CBS Films Goes Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Lasse Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has been hooked by CBS Films, with Deadline reporting the acquisition was made at the Toronto Film Festival for around $4 million. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which stars Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas and is based on the novel by Paul Torday, debuted at the festival on September 10, 2011.
 
Update – Sept 13, 2011:
 
CBS has made the pick up official, confirming today they’ve acquired Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. In the official press release, director Lasse Hallstrom stated, “I am so happy to have the support of the team at CBS Films for the distribution of our labor of love, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. I had the best of times working on it with producer Paul Webster, writer Simon Beaufoy and the cast, Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Amr Waked and Kristin Scott Thomas.”
 
“Lasse Hallström has done it again with this beautiful, heartwarming, and elegant picture. The performances are amazing from top to bottom,” commented EVP of Acquisitions Scott Shooman. “We are honored to have the opportunity to bring this extraordinary film to American audiences.”
 
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Synopsis from the Toronto Film Festival:
 
“Ewan McGregor is Fred Jones, a fisheries expert and academic who works for the British government. When he’s approached by Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt, also appearing at the Festival in Your Sister’s Sister) with a plan to introduce salmon into the waterways of Yemen for the purpose of sport fishing, he laughs off the scheme, claim­ing it impossible. Harriet acts as the British representative of an amiable and benevolent sheikh (Amr Waked), who fulfills his love of fishing on frequent trips to his estate in the ruggedly gorgeous Scottish highlands. The sheik believes that fishing creates a spiritual connection between humans and nature, and feels that bringing the sport to his coun­try would benefit the people.
 
While Fred ponders the idea, the pro­posal catches the ear of the British prime minister’s spokesperson, Bridget Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas, who also stars at the Festival in The Woman in the Fifth). Desperate to detract attention from some unwanted publicity, Bridget sees Harriet’s idea as the perfect opportunity to promote what will appear to be a heart­felt story of British goodwill in the Middle East. Despite Fred’s protests, he soon finds himself working on a project that seems not only frivolous but absolutely unfeasible in the arid land of Yemen. His skepticism is matched only by the sheikh’s boundless optimism. As the mission begins to suc­ceed, Fred grows closer to Harriet. Despite the many obstacles that stand in the way of their romance, their relationship affords an unexpected and welcome sense of hope for two lonely individuals.”