Wayfarer Studios and Bandai Namco Entertainment have partnered to develop a live-action Pac-Man film based on the classic arcade game franchise, Deadline can confirm.
20.07.2022 - 02:05 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTerapin Studios, a U.S.-Korean media investor backed by NPX Capital, has paid $160 million to acquire Toomics Global, one of South Korea’s fastest rising platforms for webtoons.Webtoons, vertically-scrolling comic strips designed to be viewed on smartphones, emerged in South Korea about 15 years ago and have become a major cultural phenomenon across Japan, Korea and much of Southeast Asia.Webtoons have also been the form of IP underlying many Korean film and TV hits, including Netflix’s “All of Us Are Dead” and “Itaewon Class,” Disney+’s “Moving” and “Dr Brain” for Apple TV+.Netflix is also on course to produce a series, “Black Knight,” based on Toomics’ original webtoon IP “Delivery Knight.” The sci-fi miniseries, starring A-list actor Kim Woo Bin (“Alienoid”), is expected to premiere this year. The Terapin-Toomics deal follows a February 2022 acquisition that saw Terapin buy Copin Communications, a Korean webtoon producer.The two deals together are expected to give Terapin the capacity to take its stable of cartoon creators further into international markets and the ability to negotiate deals for its IP in multiple related or ancillary markets, from animated film and TV, to books, games, merchandize and NFTs.“A [third party] Korean production company is working with Netflix on ‘Black Knight’,” Samuel Hwang, founder and CEO of NPX Capital, told Variety.
“In future productions, we would expect Toomics to be a partner.” Hwang says that the company has also been approached by Hollywood studios and overseas games firms.Toomics was founded in 2015 and now has some 22 million monthly active users and over 60 million subscribers. Those figures may reflect how many readers follow individual
.Wayfarer Studios and Bandai Namco Entertainment have partnered to develop a live-action Pac-Man film based on the classic arcade game franchise, Deadline can confirm.
Psy’s iconic ‘Gangnam Style’ music video has hit 4.5billion views, extending its own record as the most-watched Korean music video to date.On August 4, the music video for Psy’s 2012 breakout hit song ‘Gangnam Style’ had surpassed the 4.5billion mark in views, setting a new record as the most-watched Korean-language music video of all time, according to Soompi.The previous record belonged to the same video, which had also been the first Korean music video to breach the 4billion-mark on YouTube in March. With the new record, ‘Gangnam Style’ still retains its place among the top 10 most-viewed YouTube videos of all time.‘Gangnam Style’ was first released on July 15, 2012, having recently celebrated its 10th anniversary last month. In a tribute to the song, NME’s Rhian Daly wrote that ‘Gangnam Style’ had “served as an introduction to K-pop for many, curious listeners delving deeper into the Korean music scene and finding new artists they enjoyed”, with “online viewership or K-pop artists had doubled in the US since ‘Gangnam Style’ cantered onto the landscape”.Previously, BTS rapper Suga, who also collaborated with Psy on his latest title track ‘That That’, spoke in an interview about how pivotal ‘Gangnam Style’ was in paving the way for K-pop’s success in western arenas. “He was always someone I was grateful for,” Suga said.
Conor Ryan is currently starring in the National Tour of the Tony-winning musical Moulin Rouge and we caught up with the rising star to learn more about him!
the continued loss of subscribers for the quarter for Netflix earlier this quarter, as well as the Peacock subscribers that stayed flat for the quarter.Though the studio didn’t provide specific viewership figures, it said that “Halo,” “1883,” “The Lost City,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Jackass Forever,” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” and the UEFA Champions League generated strong acquisition and engagement as both domestic and international hours watched per household grew year-over-year. And on the earnings call, CEO Bob Bakish specifically touted “Halo” as a top driver globally for subscribers and acquisitions.
Good news for those who loved the look of Glen Powell in a cockpit as Hangman in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Powell stars in another fighter pilot movie this Fall, assured to meet anyone’s “Powell in a cockpit” needs. And better yet, Jonathan Majors serves as Powell’s wingman.
EXCLUSIVE: North America is getting its latest free streaming service later this month. Mometu, which is marketing itself as a “hand curated” on-demand live streaming platform, will launch on August 19 and has secured free streaming rights to South Korean feature The Policeman’s Lineage.
Little Women, which will also come to Netflix.The new visual shows sisters In-ju (Yumi’s Cells Kim Go-eun), In-kyeong (100 Days My Prince’s Nam Ji-hyun) and In-hye (All Of Us Are Dead’s Park Ji-hu) acquiring a backpack filled with ₩70 billion. It’s heavily implied that the bag is full of stolen money, with scenes with In-ju rappelling down the side of a building with the backpack and In-hye nervously walking away from a group of policemen.
CAMO is one of the rising stars we’re most excited about here at Just Jared, and we want our readers to get an exclusive chance to know her even better.
Little Women, which is also coming to Netflix, is set to premiere next month.On August 2, South Korean cable network tvN shared the premiere date and first poster for the adaptation, which will star Kim Go-eun (Yumi’s Cells), Nam Ji-hyun (100 Days My Prince) and All Of Us Are Dead breakout star Park Ji-hu.“From the lowest and darkest, to the highest and brightest,” reads a quote in the accompanying Instagram caption.A post shared by tvN 드라마 공식 계정 (@tvn_drama)Little Women will air at 9:10pm KST every Saturday and Sunday night on tvN from September 3, a week later than originally projected. It will also be available on Netflix in selected regions.The upcoming drama follows a trio of sisters, In-ju, In-kyeong and In-hye (played by Kim, Nam and Park respectively) who struggle to survive living in poverty.
Mónica Marie Zorrilla In a time of reboots, remakes and sequels, Wattpad Webtoon is aiming to bring more original stories to Hollywood and counter that franchise bloat. As Wattpad Webtoon Studios president Aron Levitz tells Variety, the goal is to show production banners and media platforms that loyal webcomic and series fans will tune in to their TV adaptations of those titles.
Good news for those who loved the look of Glen Powell in a cockpit as Hangman in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Powell stars in another fighter pilot movie this Fall, assured to meet anyone’s “Powell in a cockpit” needs. And better yet, Jonathan Majors serves as Powell’s wingman.
BTS may still be able to perform even while carrying out their compulsory military service, South Korean defence minister Lee Jeong-seop has said.At a National Defence Committee held by the South Korean National Assembly on Monday (August 1), Lee spoke about the defence ministry’s position on BTS’ military service terms.“I believe BTS could enlist in the military, and still be given time to practice and perform overseas,” said Lee, as reported by News1.“The Ministry of National Defence has reviewed [the issue of BTS’ enlistment] in consideration of maintaining fairness, equity, and military service resources, and they could be able to continue performing for national interests,” he said.According to Reuters, the minister added: “As many people highly value [artists serving] in the military, that may help boost their popularity even more.”Director Lee Ki-shik of the Military Manpower Association also reportedly stated that implementing additional exemptions for pop culture figures on top of the military’s existing provisions could “break the overall framework of military service exemption”.His comment suggests it is unlikely the boyband will receive a full exemption from service, though provisions may be made for them to continue their promotional activities concurrently.However, South Korean parliament is currently debating a bill that may allow for major pop culture figures like BTS to serve an “alternative” form of service as arts and cultural personnel.In May, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee called for the boyband’s exemption from South Korea’s mandatory military service, saying “It’s time to create a system for incorporating popular culture-art figures as art personnel.”Under South Korea’s current
Bae Suzy and Yang Se-jong will be co-starring in Netflix’s upcoming original K-drama The Girl Downstairs.On July 19, South Korean news outlet JoyNews24 reported that the two actors have been confirmed to lead the upcoming series. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Min Song-ah, The Girl Downstairs revolves around college students Lee Doo-na (Bae) and Lee Won-joon (Yang) who end living together.In the original webtoon, Lee Doo-na is a former member of the fictional girl group Dream Sweet, who abruptly decides to retire to resume her studies at Minsong University as a theatre and film student. It is currently unknown if the Netflix adaptation will retain the same plot.As of writing, Netflix has yet to announce a projected premiere date for The Girl Downstairs.
BTS member J-Hope performed his headlining set at Lollapalooza 2022 last night (July 31), making him the first South Korean to top the bill at the famed Chicago festival.J-Hope closed out the final night of this year’s Lollapalooza, performing on the Bud Light Seltzer stage adjacent to sets from Green Day and Polo & Pan. Other headliners at the festival included J. Cole, Kygo, Dua Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Baby and Metallica.According to setlist.fm, J-Hope performed a total of 18 songs across his 70-minute set, including eight of the 10 tracks from his just-released debut album, ‘Jack In The Box’.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNetflix has unveiled footage from “Seoul Vibe,” a Korean original movie that will release on Aug. 26, 2022.
Seoul Vibe – watch it above.Starring Yoo Ah-in, Go Kyung-po, Lee Kyu-hung and more, Seoul Vibe is an action blockbuster set against the backdrop of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It follows a ragtag crew of drivers and mechanics who dub themselves the “Sanggye-dong Supreme Team” who’ve been hired to uncover the truth behind a massive money laundering ring.The first teaser for the film introduces prodigal driver Dong-wook (played by Hellbound’s Yoo Ah-in) and his motley crew, who accept a high-stakes job that promises a hefty payment of ₩10million (around £6,400) upon completion.
Naman Ramachandran Newen Studios, the Paris-headquartered production and distribution group, has taken a majority stake in London-based production house, Rise Films, the outfit behind “All That Breathes,” which won the top documentary prizes at Sundance and Cannes this year. The move is part of Newen’s premium documentary ambitions and U.K.
Square Enix’s recently sold Eidos-Montréal studio has said that the Japanese company may have sold its western developers to gear up for a Sony acquisition.Stephane D’Astous made the comment on Tuesday (July 26), after resigning from Eidos-Montréal in 2013 due to the “lack of leadership, lack of courage and the lack of communication.”D’Astous has said that he’s heard Square Enix sold off many of its western IP and studios like Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montréal and Eidos-Montréal to Embracer Group to make itself more palatable for a potential Sony acquisition (via GamesIndustry.biz).“If I read between the lines, Square Enix Japan was not as committed as we hoped initially. And there are rumours, obviously, that with all these activities of mergers and acquisitions, that Sony would really like to have Square Enix within their wheelhouse,” explained D’Astous.
BT And Warner Bros Discovery UK Sports Joint Venture Approved
Herbert L. Kloiber’s Night Train Media has acquired scripted distributor Eccho Rights from Korean giant CJ ENM, with Eccho Co-Founder Nicola Söderlund retiring.