LE VISION PICTURES USA PARTNERS WITH DIRECTOR ROB MINKOFF FOR TWO-PICTURE DEAL
“Silkworms” and “Wolf Totem” Confirmed as Titles
Los Angeles, CA – November 9, 2015
– Los Angeles-based Le Vision Pictures USA have partnered on a
two-picture deal with acclaimed director Rob Minkoff (“The Lion King”,
“Mr. Peabody & Sherman”) and producing partner Pietro Ventani under
their Flying Tigers Entertainment banner, to co-develop
and produce the live-action comedy, “Silkworms” and the epic animated
feature "Wolf Totem".
The
deal is another step towards Le Vision’s mission to become the world’s
first “connected studio” by establishing
long-term partnerships between China and Hollywood, working with
leading filmmaking talents on both sides of the globe to develop and
produce wide-release, tent-pole films with international appeal and
franchise potential.
Le
Vision’s Chairman and CEO Zhang Zhao said: “’Silkworms’ and ‘Wolf
Totem’ are perfect examples of the ambitious,
cross-over projects we look for. As one of Hollywood’s most established
and constantly creative talents, Rob is exactly who we look for in a
long-term partner, and someone whose passion for each project matches
our own.”
The action-comedy “Silkworms” tells the story of two bumbling monks sent to ancient China by the Holy Roman Emperor,
Justinian, to steal the closely guarded secret of Chinese silk production.
Minkoff
said regarding the two projects, “’Silkworms’ is based on true events,
and is actually the first case
of industrial espionage in history." He added, “The success of the
recent live-action adaptation of ‘Wolf Totem’ has inspired us to take a
different approach and tell the story from the Wolves' point of view.
It's what animation does best."
Minkoff’s producing partner Pietro Ventani said "Le Vision under Zhang Zhao's truly visionary leadership has
demonstrated they are at the forefront of a paradigm shift in the entertainment industry,"
Rob
Minkoff is the award-winning director behind such family favorites as
“Stuart Little”, “The Forbidden Kingdom”
and last year’s “Mr. Peabody & Sherman”, having made his mark with
the global phenomenon “The Lion King”. Minkoff ‘s current project
“Blazing Samurai”, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Michael
Cera and Mel Brooks, is currently in production and slate
to be released in August 2017.
The deal was negotiated by Steve Saltzman of Loeb & Loeb and Le Vision Pictures USA EVP Simon Sun, as well as
Cheryl
Snow of Gang, Tyre Ramer & Brown and Adam Kanter of Paradigm. The
LeVP USA development team includes Jason Steyaert and Dan Scheinkman,
who together with Simon
Sun will oversee development.
As
previously announced, Le Vision Pictures USA recently acquired the
rights to Jayson Rothwell’s script “Zodiac: The Year of the Snake”
with prolific producer Bernie Goldmann attached.
Le
Vision Pictures USA is the Los Angeles arm of China’s Le Vision
Pictures, which is the third largest non-government
owned film studio in China by total box office. The studio produced the
country’s all-time highest grossing film franchise, “Tiny Times” and
co-financed and distributed “The Expendables 2 and 3” in China. They are
currently in production on the highest-budget
U.S.-China co-production to date, Zhang Yimou’s “The Great Wall”
starring Matt Damon with Legendary East and Universal Pictures.
Le Vision Pictures (LeVP) is owned by Letv, the world’s first technology company to have its video streaming
business publicly listed.
About Letv
Letv
is a leading global technology company that converges culture, content,
innovation, lifestyle and entertainment around
the world in a way no other company to date has been able to do. Letv
opens new opportunities for consumers and the technology and
entertainment industries with an integrated ecosystem that includes
smartphones, TVs, film and entertainment and soon, electric
cars. Letv offers a jaw-dropping array of products and experiences that
fit perfectly into a broad spectrum of lifestyles—along with exciting
content that keeps the innovations fresh, relevant and always
compelling. Follow them on
Facebook and
Twitter
to learn more.
About Flying Tigers Entertainment
Flying
Tigers Entertainment is the Multi-Platform Film and Animation
production company founded by Rob Minkoff and Pietro Ventani.
After working for Walt Disney Feature Animation for twelve years
culminating in the release of the internationally acclaimed animated
blockbuster, The Lion King, Rob left Disney to direct Stuart Little
which pioneered the combination of Live Action and CGI
character animation. His most recent release, Mr. Peabody &
Sherman, is based on characters created by Jay Ward. Pietro Ventani
spent more than fifteen years in Media/Entertainment holding a variety
of senior management positions for Disney and Sony Pictures
in both the Theatrical and Television divisions. His expertise
encompasses Marketing and Distribution as well as Finance and Business
Development. Flying Tigers Entertainment is currently developing a slate
of Animation and Live Action projects for theatrical,
television and online distribution.
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