Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures have jointly acquired the motion-picture rights to THE ANYBODIES, written by best-selling author Julianna Baggott and illustrated by Peter Ferguson, about an 11-year-old heroine with special powers to change shape.
The Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios have announced that they will delay the theatrical release of CARS to June 2006 from November 2005, reports REUTERS. Both companies said the move was to exploit the higher box office potential of a summer release. This move also gives Pixar more time to find a new distribution partner for its CARS-follow-up, which will be their first feature produced outside of their current Disney distribution deal, which is set of expire after the release of John Lasseters automobile epic.
Pan-European film fund Eurimages has given 3.5 million ($4.7 million) to nine international co-productions in its December session, reports VARIETY. Three of the projects were animated, including Michel Ocelot's AZUR ET ASMAR, Philippe Leclerc's LA REINE SOLEIL and Victor Maldonado and Adrian Garcias NOCTURNA. Each animated feature received up to $780,000 each.
Platinum Studios and Top Cow Prods. Inc. announced a deal in which Dimension Films has acquired the exclusive rights to develop Top Cows THE DARKNESS as a live-action feature film. THE DARKNESS is the first film deal between Platinum and Top Cow, following Platinums acquisition of the film and television rights to Top Cows comic book library this past July.
Jean-Michel Cousteau, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and 3D Ent. announced the upcoming release of SHARKS 3D, a film that brings the viewer face to face with a multitude of the world's great shark species, including the Great White, Whale Shark and Hammerhead. Audiences will experience them as they truly are in their natural habitat: not wicked man-eating creatures, but wild, fascinating and highly endangered animals.
Fantastic Films Intl. is the new rep for the 3D CGI feature, THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP, reports DAILY VARIETY. The feature, started in France, was ultimately produced by Shanghai animation studio GDC Entertainment.
German-owned Senator Intl. originally repped the film at the American Film Market in February 2004. Los Angeles-based Fantastic, now handles worldwide rights.
Buena Vistas NATIONAL TREASURE still led the box office for the weekend ended Dec. 5, 2004, with $17M and a cume of $110.1M. Sony/Revolutions CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS moved up a notch to second place, garnering $11.1M and $44.9M thus far. Also moving up a slot to number three was Warner Bros. much maligned THE POLAR EXPRESS, which nonetheless is breaking records as AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE. The all-CG Christmas tale earned $10.7M good enough for $96.1M.
Walt Disney Pictures has tapped uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer to oversee G-FORCE, a live-action/CGI family film that features talking animals. Visual effects supervisor Hoyt Yeatman (THE ROCK, KANGAROO JACK) will make his directing debut on the film, which was been in development at Yeatmans Whamaphram Prods. Disney Jason Reed will oversee the film for the studio with Whamaphram's David James serving as exec producer. Ed Kashiba will also work in a producing role on the film.
Jacob Davich has been hired for the role of the young bully in Robert Rodriguezs THE ADVENTURES OF SHARK BOY AND LAVA GIRL IN 3-D. Dimension is set to release the film in June 2005. Davich, who makes his feature debut as the young Howard Hughes in Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR, will play Minus, who terrorizes 10-year-old, Max, who has a pair of imaginary superhero friends. The cast also includes George Lopez, David Arquette, Kristin Davis and newcomers Taylor Dooley, Taylor Lautner and Cayden Boyd. Rodriguez will write and direct via his Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas.
Universal Pictures has hired Chris Columbus to direct and produce the feature adaptation of Marvel Comics SUB-MARINER. Marvel Studios chairman-ceo Avi Arad and former Universal production president-turned-producer Kevin Misher will produce along with Columbus 1492 Prods. The films screenwriter David Self will serve as exec producer. Universal Pictures vice chair of worldwide production Mary Parent and vp of production Damien Saccani will shepherd the flick for the studio.
Tom Hanks will play famed symbologist Robert Langdon in Columbia Pictures upcoming film adaptation based on Dan Browns best-selling thriller THE DA VINCI CODE, slated for release May 19, 2006. Ron Howard will direct from a script by Akiva Goldsman, who previously collaborated on Oscar-winner A BEAUTIFUL MIND. Brian Grazer and John Calley will produce. Presumably vfx, with lots of potential for virtual environments, would be handled by Sony Pictures Imageworks.
Uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has optioned the videogame series OZ as well as tapped creator American McGee to adapt the film script, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Bruckheimer has put in place a trilogy deal with Walt Disney Co. based on the property, which serves as a prequel to the classic L. Frank Baum book, THE WIZARD OF OZ.
McGee will pen the first films script and outline two sequels. McGee and writer Camden Joy have already completed an 500-page illustrated novelization of the game, which Warner Books will publish.
New Line Cinema and Marvel Studios have signed Nick Cassavetes (THE NOTEBOOK, JOHN Q) to direct the highly-anticipated big screen adaptation of IRON MAN. The film is scheduled to be a 2006 tentpole release. The project, which is being produced by Marvel Studios' ceo Avi Arad and Angry Films' Don Murphy, is based on a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and David Hayter. The studios will begin casting immediately.
With NATIONAL TREASURE and THE INCREDIBLES taking first and second place in the Thanksgiving Holiday box office ended Nov. 28, 2004, The Walt Disney Co. becomes the first studio to reap such an honor. In fact, the entire month of November belonged to the House of Mouse, as both films dominated the top of the chart also a record.
Hot on the heels of its record-breaking 3D launch of THE POLAR EXPRESS, IMAX has struck a deal with Twentieth Century Fox to release Blue Skys ROBOTS in the DMR (Digital Re-mastering) large-format process. Chris Wedges 3D-animated follow-up to his ICE AGE hit opens March 11, 2005.
Animation master Hayao Miyazaki' continues his box office success in his home country of Japan with the record breaking debut of his new feature, HOWLS MOVING CASTLE, reports VARIETY. The film made $14.3 million on 448 screens last weekend, accounting for 72% of the territory's entire box office. It is expected that a third of Japans population will see the film. The film had the third highest debut, behind the first two HARRY POTTER films.
Director James Cameron (TITANIC and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY) confirmed on NPR (National Public Radio) that his next directing gig will be on the live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's BATTLE ANGEL ALITA.
"We're in pre-production right now on a project called BATTLE ANGEL, which is something I've been working on for several years and we're just, we're finishing up the shooting draft right now. We've been designing, it's a big science fiction film and a couple things that will be interesting about this project," he says in the interview.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has announced a raft of animation projects, including a short about a cannibal, a French co-production and program to expose Inuit artists to animation.
Despite its failure to catch on at the dominant box office, THE POLAR EXPRESS has clearly been a boon for IMAX, as the large-format companys maiden 3D feature grossed approximately $2,050,000 over the weekend, following last weekends record $2.1M gross. Playing on 60 screens in North America, the movie registered a noteworthy estimated per screen average of $34,000 for the period ended Nov. 21, 2004, and has now grossed a total of almost $6 million in only 11 days in IMAX theaters.
Two newcomers bested THE INCREDIBLES for the weekend ended Nov. 21, 2004: Buena Vistas Jerry Bruckheimer actioner, NATIONAL TREASURE, which tallied $35.1M and Paramount/Nickelodeons THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE, which soaked up a terrific $32M. So much for the demise of 2D animation.
Meanwhile, Disney/Pixars THE INCREDIBLES brought in another $26.5M for a third-place finish and a hefty $177.5M in three weeks.
Writers Ed Decter and John Strauss (THE LIZZIE MAGUIRE MOVIE) have been hired by DreamWorks to pen an animated feature spin-off for the Puss in Boots character from SHREK 2, reports VARIETY. Voiced by Antonio Banderas, the character stole most of its scenes in the uber-hit sequel. DreamWorks has not made a decision whether the film will be a theatrical or direct-to-video release.
With Darren Aronofsky having left the film to work on his pet sci-fi project THE FOUNTAIN, Revolution Studios has hired THE BOURNE SUPREMACY director Paul Greengrass to helm the adaptation of the classic graphic novel, THE WATCHMEN, reports AINT IT COOL NEWS. Lloyd Levin and Larry Gordon are producing the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters summer 2006.
British director David Yates has been hired by Warner Bros. to helm HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, reports VARIETY. Yates only has one big screen film under his belt in 1998s THE TICHBORNE CLAIMANT. He is best known for his TV work, which includes THE WAY WE LIVE NOW and miniseries STATE OF PLAY. The fifth film is the mega-franchise is set to start filming in late 2005/early 2006 and arrive in theaters summer 2007.
Director Sam Raimi and original producing partners Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell have announced that they will produce a remake of the cult hit THE EVIL DEAD, reports VARIETY. Raimis Ghost House Pictures, the joint venture of Raimi, Tapert and Senator Intl., will produce the film. Senator Intl. will finance the film and retain the worldwide rights. Evp of motion pictures Nathan Kahane will oversee the project. Ghost House is looking for a director to reinvent the series before a new screenplay is written.
Fox 2000 Pictures has hired SHREK writer Joe Stillman to adapt Rick Riordans childrens book, PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF, reports VARIETY. Maverick Films' Guy Oseary is producing the film.
The story chronicles the 12-year-old demigod son of Poseidon, who ventures out into present-day America to rescue his mother, return Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a civil war among the gods.
