Source: AP

The United States filed a formal extradition request late Thursday, asking Switzerland to turn Roman Polanski over to authorities in California. The 76-year-old Oscar-winning director, who has been in Swiss custody since Sept. 26, could serve up to two years in prison in California for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

The Zurich authorities, who arrested Polanski when he arrived in Zurich to attend a film festival, will hold a hearing to decide whether or not the filmmaker should be extradited. If the move is approved, Polanski can still appeal the decision to Switzerland's top criminal court and will most likely do so if necessary, as his lawyer said he would fight the extradition.

The famed director of such films as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist, Polanski fled the United States on Feb. 1, 1978 and has since resided in France, a country that does not extradite its citizens.

The fate of Polanski's latest film, The Ghost, starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan, has yet to be determined, though the filmmaker is said to be continuing post-production work on the film during his incarceration.