EXCLUSIVE: Paradigm has signed Pasaca Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based media finance and production company behind the TIFF 2022 family drama, Prisoner’s Daughter.
26.08.2022 - 00:25 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Koulest Productions’ Miles Koules (Ski Weekend) and Oren Koules (Saw franchise) have optioned Boom! Studios’ comic Plunder, from creator-author Jonathan “Swifty” Lang, for development as a feature.
Plunder is a horror story that picks up with a gang of Somali pirates after they face off with an illegal Chinese vessel. They then try to board what they think is a research ship, only to find themselves in the midst of a massacre, with their worst nightmares becoming reality around them. The 14-year-old boy who went from translator to reluctant pirate becomes their key to survival, but he must decide how far he’s willing to go in the name of self-preservation.
The Koulest Productions duo has tapped Ethan Teller (Jar of Fools) to pen the script, with two-time Academy Award-nominated SFX Artist Alec Gillis (Prey) and his newly formed Studio Gillis also coming aboard the project to oversee its Special Effects.
“Jonathan pitched me the plot of “Plunder” when we were introduced by a mutual friend at a Clipper game. I was immediately taken by both the concept and his sense of storytelling when describing the plot,” said Teller. “He gave me a vivid images of what the film could be and I knew that I was talking to someone with as deep a love of the genre as myself. Being able to contribute to making a feature adaptation of the comic book alongside Jonathan, Miles and Oren has been everything I could hope for.”
“Optioning Plunder has felt like a dream come true for me. Being a massive fan of Sci-fi/Fantasy stories is what made me want to be a producer in the first place,” said Miles Koules. “Working with such great people like Jonathan and Ethan on their vision which draws comparisons to a combination of Alien and Captain
EXCLUSIVE: Paradigm has signed Pasaca Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based media finance and production company behind the TIFF 2022 family drama, Prisoner’s Daughter.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Jack Neo, who is by far Singapore’s most commercially successful filmmaker, has begun production on “King of Musang King,” a comedy that he envisages being ready for release at Chinese New Year in January. The narrative gives prominent position to durians, the smelly Southeast Asian fruit that most people either love or hate. Neo (“Money No Enough,” the “Ah Boys to Men” franchise) will co-star, direct and produce through his J Team Productions. The film will be presented by J Team, mm2 Entertainment and Cathay Cineplexes. The story revolves around a man (played by Mark Lee), his abandoned Malaysian wife (played by Yeo Yann Yann), and childhood friend Mao Shan (played by Jack Neo).
India’s Kajol To Star Disney+ Hotstar Remake Of ‘The Good Wife’
Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans will make its U.S. premiere at AFI Fest 2022 — closing out the festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 6. The latest film from the AFI Life Achievement Award recipient is set to make its world premiere this month at the Toronto Film Festival, arriving in theaters beginning November 11.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Art-house title “Return to Dust” was a surprise weekend winner, topping the mainland China box office in its ninth weekend of release. The astonishing feat occurred on an otherwise depressed weekend in which China’s cinema box office dipped to a three-month low. This reflected the summer season winding to an end and anti-COVID measures once again forcing major Chinese cities into retreat. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed “Return” grossing $5.3 million (RMB36.2 million) between Friday and Sunday. Those three days accounted for nearly half of the $12.7 million (RMB87.4 million) cumulative total it has earned since release on July 8, 2022.
EXCLUSIVE: Tennis great Michael Chang, who became the youngest winner of a major tournament singles championship when he beat Ivan Lendl in the 1989 French Open at age 17, will be the subject of a ’30 for 30′ documentary by ESPN Films.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Venice Film Festival’s market is kicking off with an attendance level close to its 2019 pre-pandemic days and strong interest in feature films and VR works being pitched at its gap-financing platform “We already have a total of more than 2,400 industry professionals registered to attend, which is close to pre-pandemic levels since in 2019 the number was 2,700 [at the end of the market],” says Pascal Diot, head of the Venice Production Bridge, as the informal mart is known. Of these, 1,700 are accredited with the VPB’s Golden Trade pass, while the remaining 1,000 are registered as part of film delegations.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Korea’s leading entertainment group CJ ENM has appointed Steve W. Chung as its global chief growth officer. He will be based in Los Angeles. Previously, Chung served as chief growth officer at Fox Corporation. Prior to that Chung was the founder and CEO of Frankly, a publicly-traded media tech company based in San Francisco. He was also a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and an executive producer in China. Chung currently serves as a board member of the non-profit National Asia Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) and received his B.A from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The delayed 46th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival wrapped Wednesday with the award of 13 prizes for its young filmmaker, documentary and shorts competitions. Hailed by the jury as “one of this year’s most distinguished films both creatively and artistically,” Qiu Jiongjiong’s “A New Old Play” was named best film for the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language). “A New Old Play” is a tale of a family of Sichuan Opera artists living through a tumultuous era. It also collected the FIPRESCI Prize, with the jury commending the film for “its masterful approach and inventive visual style.” In the global category, Palestinian director Maha Haj’s “Mediterranean Fever” was chosen as the Firebird Award winner for being “an all-rounded gem that is at once a thriller, social comedy, and odd couple bromance.”
Executives from China Film Group were recently treated to a screening of footage from Disney/20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way Of Water, receiving a surprise greeting from filmmaker James Cameron in the process. China Daily reported the news which Deadline has confirmed.
EXCLUSIVE: The HBO Max series Warrior is adding 10 actors to the cast of Warrior for the show’s third season, including Telly Leung and Kevin Otto, in recurring roles.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Coo-Coo 043,” a family drama set in the world of racing pigeons, has been set as the opening film of the 2022 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. The closing film is comedy “Marry My Dead Body.” “Coo-Coo 043” is the second film directed by Chan Ching-lin (“The Island That All Flow By”) and stars Golden Bell Awards winners Yu An-shun and Yang Li-yin, along with Golden Harvest Awards best new performer Hu Jhih-ciang and emerging new talent Rimong Ihwar. Chan was previously nominated for Golden Horse Awards best short film for “A Breath From the Bottom,” and as best new director with his feature debut “The Island That All Flow By.” As a work in progress, “Coo-Coo 043” previously participated in the 2021 Golden Horse Film Project Promotion.
The pan-Canadian Selection Committee has chosen director Jason Loftus’ Eternal Spring as its entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
Canada has made its selection for the Oscars.
Chris Cornwell, who has written on A Discovery of Witches and Strike Back, has created and written a heist drama A Theft of Lies (working title) for Germany’s ZDF Studios and British indie Three Tables Productions.