IFC Films has grabbed the U.S. rights to director Rowan Joffe’s debut feature Brighton Rock. Joffe, whose previous writing credits include 28 Weeks Later and The American, adapted the script from Graham Greene’s 1939 iconic crime novel of the same name. Produced by Paul Webster (Atonement, Eastern Promises) and co-produced by Paul Ritchie (Nowhere Boy, Slumdog Millionaire), the film stars Sam Riley (Control), Andrea Riseborough (Never Let Me Go), John Hurt (Immortals), and Helen Mirren (The Last Station) and will be released by IFC Films in the summer of 2011.

Brighton Rock embraces the classic elements of film noir and the British gangster film to tell the story of Pinkie (Riley), a desperate youth who is hell bent on clawing his way up through the ranks of organized crime. When a young and very innocent waitress, Rose (Riseborough), stumbles on evidence linking him to a revenge killing, he sets out to seduce her to secure her silence.

President of IFC Films Jonathan Sehring said, “Brighton Rock is a brilliant update of a noir classic that manages to be thrilling and beautiful. Sam Riley carries the film with his charismatic performance, and Andrea Riseborough and Helen Mirren round out the cast exquisitely. We look forward to getting it out to a wide audience.”