This Spring, Stephen Daldry and his producer Jonathon Finn will ascend the mountain as far as Base Camp, a lofty 17,600 feet above sea level. They will be led by David Breashears, one of the world's most respected mountaineers and high-altitude filmmakers, who, with his handpicked team, will continue to the highest point on earth at 29,028 feet. Equipped with a 35mm motion picture camera and 35mm stills camera, Breashears will shoot background images for the film. A documentary of their ascent, and the extreme challenges of high-altitude filmmaking, will be recorded by team members using digital video cameras.

Along with Breashears (who has reached the summit four times), the members of the 2004 WT Everest Expedition climbing team include: America's most celebrated mountaineer Ed Viesturs, who has been to the summit five times and who will be the expedition's co-leader; Veikka Gustafsson and Robert Schauer, both of whom have made two ascents to the top; renowned adventure sports photographer Jimmy Chin; and experienced mountaineer and guide Amy Bullard. The climbing team will be assisted by a carefully selected group of experienced Sherpa climbers.

For Breashears, Viesturs, Gustafsson, and Schauer, this filming expedition will bring back memories of that fateful day in May 1996 when they were on the mountain filming the IMAX documentary 'Everest'. Breashears and his team assisted in the rescue effort and selflessly gave the stranded mountaineers access to all their team's oxygen, placing their own expedition in jeopardy.

The 2004 WT Everest Expedition will set off for Nepal in mid-March with plans to make the first summit attempt in early-May with a second attempt two weeks later.

For more than a century, Mount Everest has captured the world's imagination. It is considered the ultimate challenge to both amateur adventurers and professional mountaineers alike. Since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first ascent on May 29th, 1953, more than 1600 people have made the formidable climb to the top.

EVEREST will start principal photography in Spring 2005 under the direction of Stephen Daldry with Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Jonathon Finn producing. David Breashears is co-producer and second unit director. The film will be released worldwide by Universal Pictures.

Stephen Daldry has recently moved into film after a hugely successful career as a theatre director. His first film, 'Billy Elliot', won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and his second film, 'The Hours', was nominated for 9 Academy Awards.

Co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Working Title Films is Europe's leading production company. Together, they have made more than 70 films grossing over two and a half billion dollars worldwide winning 4 Academy Awards and 20 British Academy Awards. Their film credits include, Notting Hill, Elizabeth, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Dead Man Walking, Fargo, Bean, High Fidelity, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Bridget Jones's Diary, Billy Elliot, Ali G Indahouse, About A Boy, Johnny English and Love Actually.

Universal Pictures is a division of Vivendi UNIVERSAL Entertainment (VUE) (www.universalstudios.com), the U.S.-based film, television and recreation entity of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.

For further information please contact

Kate Luczyc-Wyhowska, Universal Pictures, London

Tel: (44) 207 307 1364

kate.wyhowska@unistudios.com