On November 1, 2012, the World Premiere of “Hitchcock” will open the AFI FEST 2012 at Grauman’s historic Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. The film stars Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles; and James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins. The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi and also stars Toni Collette, Danny Huston, and Michael Stuhlbarg. From a screenplay by John J. McLaughlin, the film is based on the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello. “Hitchcock”, a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock, and his wife and partner, Alma Reville, takes place during the making of the distinguished director’s seminal 1960 movie “Psycho”.

Fox Searchlight just shook up this year’s awards race by announcing that Hitchcock, which had been looking like a 2013 release, will now open on November 23. First of all, the facts: Hitchcock is a dramedy about the relationship between kinky master-filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and his trusted wife Alma Reville during the making of his seminal 1960 film Psycho. The film was adapted by Black Swan co-screenwriter John McLaughlin from film historian/Playboy contributing editor Stephen Rebello’s book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. It marks the feature directorial debut of Sacha Gervasi, featuring a large and formidable ensemble: Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren play Alfred and Alma; James D’Arcy, Scarlett Johansson, and Jessica Biel portray Psycho stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, and Vera Miles, respectively; Michael Stuhlbarg is super-agent Lew Wasserman; and also popping up are Oscar nominee Toni Collette as Hitchcock’s faithful assistant Peggy Robertson, Danny Huston as Alma’s friend Whitfield Cook, and Ralph Macchio, The Karate Kid himself, as Psycho screenwriter Joe Stefano. An alaysis on why Searchlight slipped “Hitchcock” Into This Year’s Oscar Race can be read over at The Hollywood Reporter.