Three Studios Want To Distribute Kick-Ass
Lionsgate, Paramount and Universal are competing to buy Mark Millar’s creator-owned title “Kick-Ass” after Comic-Con presentation of comic-book adaptation has generated a ton of interest.
Director Matthew Vaughan (Stardust) financed independently after some studios found the project’s violence too graphic and some of its dialogue too profanity-laced.
Sony were initially onboard, but Vaughn split with the studio over creative differences; they wanted to turn the character of Hit Girl (who is 11-years-old in the comic) into a teenager, for example.
Fast & Furious 4 To Be First Theatrical D-BOX Release
Heading to the movies just became a more “moving” experience, thanks to new motion-activated theater seats available for theatergoers, D-BOX Technologies announced today. Beginning April 3, audiences will experience the seats with the release of Universal Pictures’ new action-thriller, Fast & Furious.
D-BOX Technologies will debut its Motion Systems for the first time during this theatrical release. The seats are equipped with the company’s Motion technology and powered by D-BOX Motion Effects that corresponds to the action taking place onscreen, causing the seats to tilt and shake in perfect synchronization with the onscreen action.
Audience members will feel all the shifts and rumbles of an opening hijacking sequence, however the seats will remain still during the quieter, dialogue-driven scenes. The seats are in motion for about a third of the film, including intelligent vibrations that move along to the soundtrack and stronger movements for the action scenes.
Universal Walks Away From DreamWorks Distribution Deal
Looks like Dreamworks is no longer interested in Universal’s Annual Pass offer and decides it would rather spend time in the Magic Kingdom.
Instead, DreamWorks heads Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider are in advanced talks with the Walt Disney Co. about a distribution deal. While other studios like Fox have also been mentioned as possible DreamWorks suitors in the past, a potential Disney deal appeared to be the only one on the table at the moment.
The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not finalized.
The talks came as Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal, said in a statement it ended negotiations with DreamWorks on a distribution deal the two announced in October, saying Spielberg’s company has “demanded material changes to previously agreed upon terms.”
Universal said:
“It is clear that DreamWorks’ needs and Universal’s business interests are no longer in alignment.”
Now Disney, which has cut back on its own release slate to concentrate on Disney-branded family entertainment, would appear to be in a position to accommodate a half-dozen DreamWorks releases per year.
Universal’s The Knights Templar
Universal Pictures has acquired The Knights Templar, a script from Adam Torchia and Justin Stanley for Marc Platt and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov to produce.
According to Variety, the story puts a horror spin on the famed organization of fighters from the Middle Ages, with the Knights Templar, fresh from the Crusades, forced to fend off an invading vampire army set on destroying the Holy Grail.
No production date has been set.
Universal to co-finance Almodovar’s ‘Los abrazos rotos’
Universal Pictures will co-finance Pedro Almodovar’s “Los abrazos rotos” (Broken Embraces), with Focus Features Intl. handling foreign sales.
The film, starring Penelope Cruz, starts shooting May 26 in Madrid and the Canary Islands.
Focus will handle sales in all foreign territories except Spain, where Almodovar’s own production outfit El Deseo retains the rights, and those countries where Almodovar traditionally partners with Pathe, France, the U.K., Benelux and Switzerland.
There is no U.S. distribution deal yet for the movie.
The deal between El Deseo, Universal and Focus continues a long-standing link that dates back to days when Focus was an independent known as Good Machine, jointly run by David Linde, now U’s co-chairman, Focus president James Schamus and Ted Hope.
Focus Intl. previously was sales agent for Almodovar’s “Volver,” “Bad Education” and “Talk to Her,” as well as other El Deseo titles, including “The Secret Life of Words” and “My Life Without Me.”
This is the first time Universal has co-financed one of Almodovar’s movies.
Focus is also handling sales for El Deseo’s “La mujer sin cabeza” (The Headless Woman), directed by Lucrecia Martel (Cannes 2008)
Christian Grass, president of Universal’s Intl. Studio, said,
“Universal’s international production group is committed to providing the most comprehensive support possible for companies like El Deseo.”
