Upon theatrical release on September 21, 1975, Dog Day Afternoon was a critical and box office success. Filming took place between September and November 1974, and the production was finished three weeks ahead of schedule. The cast was selected by Lumet and Pacino, with the latter selecting past co-stars from his Off-Broadway plays. Pierson conducted his research and wrote a script that centered the story of the robbery around Wojtowicz. The feature chronicled the 1972 robbery and hostage situation led by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile at a Chase Manhattan branch in Brooklyn.Įlfand brought Bregman's attention to the article, who proceeded to negotiate a deal with Warner Bros and clear the rights to use the story. The screenplay is written by Frank Pierson and is based on the Life magazine article 'The Boys in the Bank' by P. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, and Charles Durning. Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 American biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Martin Bregman and Martin Elfand.
