Press release from DQ Entertainment Ireland Limited:
Hyderabad, India and Los Angeles, CA –DQ Entertainment Ireland Limited (DQE) is expanding its production pipeline with the creation of a dedicated feature film division which plans a steady slate of motion pictures in the coming years based on iconic, universally beloved characters and stories.
The first movie green lit from this new division is a $45 million stereoscopic 3D animated feature film based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale The Jungle Book.
Already in pre-production, The Jungle Book producers have tapped an experienced team of top echelon talent from the world of feature animation, including screenwriter Billy Frolick (Madagascar, Holy Cow), co-directors Jun Falkenstein (The Tigger Movie, The Smurfs, Despicable Me,) and Kevin Johnson (Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, Astro Boy, Stuart Little), and production designer James Hegedus (Shrek).
The film is being produced by Tapaas Chakravarti, Chairman and Founder of DQE, while Eric S. Rollman, CEO of Rollman Entertainment, Inc., former President of both Marvel Animation and Saban/Fox Family Productions, with DQE’S VP of Intellectual Property, Rouhini Jaswal, will serve as Executive Producers.
The Jungle Book is targeting a theatrical release date in 2014. Pre- and post-production will be based in Los Angeles with animation production at DQE’s headquarters in Hyderabad, India. Two additional classic titles are already in development for the company’s next two theatrical film projects.
“Our commitment to animated features marks another major milestone for DQ Entertainment,” said Chakravarti. “By leading off our slate with a 3D Stereoscopic version of The Jungle Book, a classic and universally beloved story based in India, our home country, we’re making a bold statement to the industry – that DQE is committed to put the creative, technical and financial resources together to produce compelling, high quality animation for all distribution channels.”
“We have assembled a truly world class team with a remarkable résumé of animation accomplishments,” added Rollman. “The net result will be a distinctive and captivating presentation for families the world over to enjoy, and one more illustration of the unique acumen of DQ Entertainment, an unstoppable creative force in our industry.”
“A pulsating journey through the deepest jungles of India with Mowgli the man-cub will entertain and enthrall. The legacy of Kipling will be revived with the magic and mystique of The Jungle Book in breathtaking 3D,” added Jaswal.
2011 marked the studio’s first foray into theatrical features with The Prodigies for Warner Bros., Onyx Films and Fidélité Films, France.
DQE's dynamic business model of developing iconic intellectual properties and expanding its distribution network worldwide has positioned the studio as a fully integrated global entertainment production and distribution company.