GigaPix Studios will produce a live-action/CGI feature film based on the popular underground comicbook, DR GRAVE, written by its creator, Ed Vis, according to David Pritchard, president of GigaPix.
Dr. Grave is a sexy, middle-aged adventurer who embodies a combination of Indiana Jones and Austin Powers, with a dash of Monty Python, said Pritchard. The estimated budget of $40-50 million covers a combination of live-action and CG effects.
The DR GRAVE comicbook series was first published by Slave Labor Graphics in 2000. Vis developed it under the supervision of producer Kenneth Kokin (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, WAY OF THE GUN) and producer Bruce L. Berman of Valor Ent. Kokin and Berman will produce the film.
The main things that attracted us to GigaPix, said Kokin, are that David has a wicked sense of humor that supports the tone of the script, shares a vision to cast the lead actors with genius-comedic abilities and has in-house CGI facilities to give the DR GRAVE property epic spectacle. And if you look at the projects David has been associated with (THE SIMPSONS, DR KATZ, FAMILY GUY, KING OF THE HILL), he understands how to protect franchisable characters and build a great production team to support that franchise."
Kenneth and I have been working on the screenplay with Ed for two years and, while we had offers to produce the film, we felt the team at GigaPix would help us build this into a major film and intellectual property franchise, said Berman.
GigaPix ceo Chris Blauvelt said, I am excited to have DR GRAVE as our first live-action film project. In the last couple months we have been gearing up and building a team to deliver this kind of big franchise comedy that can utilize our CG and special effects production base.
Chatsworth, California-based computer-animation house GigaPix Studios (www.gigapixstudios.com) recently opened a visual effects department to provide complete, high-end visual effects design and post-production for feature films, television, commercial spots and music videos. Blauvelt founded GigaPix Studios on Dec. 20, 2002, in a modest 2,300 sq. ft. office in Canoga Park, California. GigaPix opened a new 32,000-square-foot facility in 2005, to move from shorts to independent computer-animated features.
