MGM has acquired and greenlit “The Cabin in the Woods,” a thriller penned by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard with Goddard signed to make his directorial debut and Whedon producing.
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has picked up U.S. distribution rights for the CG-animated featured film “Planet 51.” TriStar Pictures will release the film on November 20, 2009. “Planet 51” features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman and Monty Python alum John Cleese.
French vidgame publisher Ubisoft is continuing its expansion into the traditional entertainment biz with a first-of-its-kind deal to acquire Montreal-based f/x house Hybride, according to Variety. Hybride will be integrated into Montreal’s Ubisoft studio, which last year established a digital arts arm to expand beyond its work on vidgames such as “Prince of Persia” and “Assassin’s Creed” to produce CG animation. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” a new big screen film based on the game and starring Jake Gyllenhaal will be released on June 19, 2009.
In a first-time joint operation, Singapore and Malaysia have united to crack down on DVD pirates using their borders for smuggling pirated copies of DVDs. In this first sting operation four people were arrested and 4,300 discs seized. The raids were conducted by the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the Singapore Police Force and the Enforcement Division of Malaysia’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.
HDNet will begin programming more sci-fi shows on its exclusive hi-def cable network. After the ratings success of such classic sci-fi films as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and regular reruns of “Torchwood,” “Dead Like Me” and “Smallville,” station owner billionaire Mark Cuban told a gathering at the Television Critics Association press tour this week that more sci-fi is on the way. According to SCI FI Wire this summer’s big HDNet schedule will feature a Steven Spielberg Tribute week, with “E.T. The Extra-Terrestria”l, and Monday SF nights with films such as “Starman,” “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” “King Arthur,” “Stigmata,” “Superman III,” “Ghostbusters 2,” “Wolf” and “The Mothman Prophecies.”
DreamWorks will use Intel’s visual computing products for 3-D animated feature films starting with its “Monsters vs. Aliens” movie, set for domestic release on March 27, 2009.
Beginning September 2008 “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane will release exclusively via Google a series of 50 two-minute animated vignettes titled “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.”
“Housebroken,” is a new film coming soon that revolves around a group of animals forced to live under the same roof when their respective owners move in together. Adam Sztykiel is writing the screenplay. The film will combine computer-generated and live action in the manner of such Walden films as “Charlotte’s Web” and the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. Barring an actor’s strike the movie will likely be released by Fox under the studio’s deal with Walden. Studio is currently looking for major named stars to voice the animals.
