SALES BECOME ANIMATED
Indie sales agency All Rights Entertainment has achieved a string of pre-sales on “Lendarys,” a family adventure animation film that is currently in advanced stages of production and set for delivery later this year.
The film was licensed to KMBO (France); Flins & Piniculas (Spain); Another World Entertainment (Denmark and Norway); Njuta Films (Sweden); Outsider Films (Portugal); Blitz Film (Ex-Yugoslavia), Five Stars Distribution (Israel), Selim Ramia and Co. (Middle East and North Africa), The Film Group (Greece & Cyprus), Kino Swiat (Poland), Nashe Kino (CIS excluding Baltics), ACME Film (Baltic States) and Madness Entertainment (Mexico).
The film’s story is a quest narrative about a young wizard, an outlaw with a mysterious power, a wacky pachyderm and a fantasy beast called a Lendarys, all on the trail of the wizard’s missing brother.
“Lendarys” is directed by Philippe Duchene and co-directed by Jean-Baptiste Cuvelier. Duchene’s previous work includes acting as lead concept designer on the animation hit “Leap!” (aka “Ballerina”) and as a character designer on Netflix’s animated series “Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.”
The film is structured as a France-Canada co-production produced by PM S.A. (“Fonzy,” “Holy Lands”) with 2 Minutes Animation (“Calamity,” “Zombillenium,” “Long Way North”) acting as line producer, in association with Caramel Films (Fireheart, Leap!).
K-POP K.O.
Korean tech giant Kakao said Tuesday that it had bought or received pledges representing 40% of the share capital of K-pop agency SM Entertainment. That is the figure that Kakao had sought to buy in a KRW150,000 per share tender offer that defeated a rival bid from BTS-backer Hybe Corp. In recent days, Hybe accepted defeat and would sell its roughly 15% stake in SM. Kakao now gets management control of SM Entertainment, while Hybe gets a deal that sees SM talent work with its fan outreach platforms.
“We will create great synergy based on SM Entertainment’s global K-pop intellectual property and production system and Kakao’s IT and business capability,” Kakao CEO Hong Eun-taek said in a statement on Tuesday. “We’ll speed up the takeover process and announce our business plans among Kakao, Kakao Entertainment and SM Entertainment.”
YOO ISSUES APOLOGY
Prominent Korean actor Yoo Ah-in used social media on Tuesday to apologise for the disappointment to fans and disruptions to business caused by his alleged misuse of prescription drugs, cannabis, ketamine and cocaine. He attended a Seoul police station for 12 hours on Monday and was released without charge and on Tuesday promised to sincerely cooperate with the ongoing legal probe.
Yoo is scheduled to appear in Korean movie “High Five,” and Netflix movie “The Match,” both of which are completed or in advanced post-production. He is also reported to be attached to Netflix series “Good-Bye Earth.”
