Red, pink, cyan and orange ghosts beware, “Pac-Man” is one power pellet away from snack time.
21.07.2022 - 19:11 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefFans at Comic-Con will Saturday get a fresh taste of Sony’s “Knights of the Zodiac,” a fantasy action film based on the popular Japanese “Saint Seiya” manga and anime series.Tomek Baginski directs a diverse cast headed by Famke Janssen and Sean Bean, as well as American-born Japanese sensation Mackenyu in the title role as Pegasus Seiya.For Toei Animation, the Japanese studio behind the properties, the effort is the result of a decade-long strategic overhaul. And putting together the $60 million first leg in a major movie franchise took a circuitous route through Hungary and COVID disruptions.
Toei Animation international producer Ikezawa Yoshi explains the journey.Variety: What was the corporate or strategic point of view that led Toei Animation to make the live action “Knights of the Zodiac”?Ikezawa: Today when you run an animation studio, especially the size of those in the Japanese industry, profit potential is limited. Other rights, including merchandising, licensing program or features outside of Japan are important, but there’s always been a ceiling.
Until quite recently, our audience were those people who enjoy anime. Those fans are unique and different from the audiences who enjoy American comics, or superheroes.
Although the ceiling has been expanding gradually, we wanted to break free of these limitations and take a more businesslike approach.How do you actually do that? We’d been successful in selling manga outside of Japan, especially in the early years of the millennium and with the boost provided by the DVD business. But our chairman and president wanted to expand more into the mainstream.
Red, pink, cyan and orange ghosts beware, “Pac-Man” is one power pellet away from snack time.
Pac-Man is getting a solo live-action movie!
In this age of IP-dominated cinema, there are plenty of announcements that seem obvious on the surface. Another superhero film being made? Sure, that makes sense.
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.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Jane the Virgin” actor Justin Baldoni is hoping to bring the exploits of Pac-Man to a movie theater near you.Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios is backing a live-action film based on the popular arcade game, along with Bandai Namco Entertainment, the Japanese video game publisher that created Pac-Man, as well as Ace Combat, Galaga and Tekken.The ubiquitous video game, in which a starving Pac-Man chomps his way through a maze while attempting to evade deadly ghosts, has previously served as inspiration for television, with a 1980s animated TV series of the same name that ran on ABC and a 2013 cartooned show “Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures” that played on Disney XD in the United States. But until now, Pac-Man has only been a highlighter-yellow face on a pixilated screen.
his manager Colonel Tom Parker.Both collectors and fans have spent decades searching for the items, which were thought to be lost. Thanks to Brigitte Kruse, founder and CEO of GWS Auctions, who found and assembled the pieces, they can now be seen together for the first time.Two hundred items, including gold rings encrusted with jewels, cufflinks, watches and chains, will go up for auction on Aug.
A new study has called into question the long-held belief that women outlive men.
EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max has opted not to renew 1980s coming-of-age comedy series Gordita Chronicles for a second season. The decision comes a little over a month after the show launched on the platform to strong reviews amid a programming shift at the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer.
Joe Otterson TV ReporterKurt Russell and Wyatt Russell are the latest additions to the cast of Apple’s upcoming live-action series about Godzilla and the Titans.The father and son duo join previously announced cast members Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski in the show based on Legendary’s growing Monsterverse franchise.In the show, following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the series will explore one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.Kurt is a legendary actor known for his roles in films like “Escape from New York” and “Escape from LA,” “The Thing,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Backdraft,” and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” He has also starred in the Quentin Tarantino films “Death Proof” and “The Hateful Eight” while he had a minor role in “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.” He began his career as a child star in multiple television shows and Disney films like “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.” He is repped by UTA.Wyatt is known for his starring role in the AMC series “Lodge 49” as well as for shows like “The Good Lord Bird” and “Under the Banner of Heaven.” He is also part of the MCU like his father, having starred in the series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” He has starred in films such as “Everybody Wants Some,” “22 Jump Street,” and “Overlord.”He is repped by UTA, Narrative, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.Chris Black and Matt Fraction co-created the series with both executive producing.
ABC‘s upcoming special just found its Belle!
Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R has been tapped to play beloved Disney Princess Belle in ABC’s upcoming animated and live-action blended special, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, executive produced by Jon M. Chu and directed by Hamish Hamilton.
A live-action movie based on the Matchbox die-cast toy vehicles is in development at Skydance Media and Mattel.
A live-action “Matchbox” movie, inspired by the iconic real-world die-cast toy vehicle line, is being developed by Skydance Media and Mattel Films, the companies announced on Tuesday.The screenplay will be written by three-time Black Lister David Coggeshall, who wrote the upcoming “Orphan: First Kill” for Paramount as well as Lee Daniels’s untitled Netflix possession thriller filming in Pittsburgh and drafts of “Thundercats” for Warner Bros.“For nearly 70 years, Matchbox has carried enormous cultural relevance and inspired generations of kids to unleash their imaginations, combining what they see in the world every day with what they dream their own world to be,” Mattel Films executive producer Robbie Brenner said in a statement. “We look forward to working with our incredible partners at Skydance Media to craft a story for the big screen that evokes the same, imaginative spirit of this beloved Mattel franchise and delights fans of all ages.”Feature Films of Skydance president Don Granger added: “We are thrilled to be working with Robbie Brenner and her amazing creative team at Mattel.
Wilson Chapman editorAnother iconic Mattel brand is racing off the toy shelves and onto the big screen. Mattel Films and Skydance Media are developing a live-action film based on the Matchbox vehicles toy line.Created in 1953 by automotive expert Jack Odell, Matchbox are a series of die-cast vehicle models that take their name from the fact that they can fit inside a matchbox.
Keanu Reeves is on board for playing a live action version of Batman, but he does have some stipulations.
Netflix has found their Yusuke Urameshi for their live-action Yu Yu Hakusho series.
Keanu Reeves has said it would be a “dream” to play Batman in a live-action film.The actor, who voices a version of Batman in animated film DC League of Super-Pets, expressed an interest in portraying the character in a live-action feature.Speaking to Extra, Reeves said: “I love Batman, as a character. I love him in the comic books, in the films, so to get the opportunity to voice, to play Batman was awesome.”Asked about stepping into the suit himself, Reeves said: “It’s been a dream but [Robert] Pattinson has got Batman right now and he’s doing awesome.“Maybe down the road.