Bridge7, a production company founded by former Netflix executive Swati Shetty and former CAA agent Grant Kessman, has acquired the film sequel and TV rights to Slumdog Millionaire. The rights were acquired from UK based Celador which produced and financed the Oscar-winning 2008 movie in association with the UK’s Film4.
Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy based on the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup, Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of 18-year-old Jamal, played by Dev Patel in his feature debut, whose life of hardship in the slums of Mumbai gives him the answers he needs to win a Who Wants To Be a Millionaire-type quiz show.
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It is unclear whether Patel, the film’s female lead Freida Pinto and other original cast members would return for the potential sequel, which will tell “the next chapter of Jamal’s journey.”
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The original movie was a global box-office hit and won 8 Oscars, including Best Director for Boyle and Best Picture; seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film; and four Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama. Composer A.R. Rahman won two Oscars for the movie’s score as well its infectious anthem, Jai Ho.
“Some stories stay with us long after the credits roll and Slumdog Millionaire is undoubtedly one of them. Its narrative is universal, cutting across cultural and geographical lines and it embodies the kind of stories we love—ones that bridge entertainment with profound human experiences,” Shetty and Kessman said. “What makes Slumdog Millionaire extraordinary is not only its cinematic brilliance—spanning storytelling, music, and its remarkable accolades, but also how it brought together talent from across the world to make a global winning team.”
This marks the first announcement for the independently financed Bridge7, which Shetty and Kessman launched in June 2023.
“I am delighted that Swati and Grant have chosen the Slumdog sequel to launch their newly formed company,” said Celador International’s Chairman, Paul Smith CBE. “Celador looks forward to working with Bridge7, as the next chapter of Jamal’s journey of discovery unfolds on the screen.”
Shetty’s 25-year career spans executive roles at Netflix, Imagine Entertainment and Disney’s local production unit in India. She recently produced the 2022 Netflix romantic comedy, Wedding Season. Her film producing credits also include the feature film Umrika, India’s first-ever Sundance winner which took home the audience award in 2015.
Kessman spent two decades at CAA as a literary agent in the television department. For his last three years at the agency, Kessman relocated from Los Angeles to London to focus on the representation of European writers and producers, facilitating such TV projects as the Scott Frank and Haut et Court co-production Monsieur Spade, as well as Gerard Butler and Howard Overman’s series Paris Has Fallen, based on the Has Fallen film franchise.
Paytre Topp in Los Angeles and Nick Miller from Simon Muirhead Burton in the UK brokered the deal on behalf of Bridge7; Jessica Hudson and James Kay from Sheridans in the UK represented Celador International.