Saturday, September 15, 2018

Skydance Announces Live-Action "Miraculous" Film and TV

SKYDANCE MEDIA PARTNERS WITH ZAG TO PRODUCE LIVE-ACTION MIRACULOUS® - TALES OF LADYBUG & CAT NOIR

Skydance Acquires Live-Action Film and Television Rights to Hugely Popular Global Animated Series

Skydance Media in partnership with ZAG today announced that it has secured the live-action feature film and television rights to the global animated phenomenon Miraculous® - Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Under the deal, Skydance plans to develop and produce the first-ever live-action adaptations based on the hit property with an anticipated release in 2020. The critically acclaimed, award-winning animated television series developed and produced by Jeremy Zag follows two heroes—Ladybug and Cat Noir—as they protect the city of Paris from super villains.

ZAG’s aspirational series Miraculous - Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir—winner of the 2018 Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Series, airs in over 120 countries worldwide, regularly scoring #1 rankings in kids 4-11 demo. Miraculous has a passionate and active teen fan base, the “Miraculers” with over a million global subscribers to YouTube and 17 billion watch-time minutes in its lifetime with both official and user-generated content. The fans drive high interactivity on Instagram with over 300M followers regularly engaging. Miraculous consumer products have 350 licensees worldwide. Winning multiple industry awards in licensing and consumer products, merchandise passed the $100 million mark in retail sales in 2017.

“Jeremy and everyone at ZAG have done a tremendous job in creating and building Miraculous into the massive pop culture sensation it is today,” said Jesse Sisgold, President and COO, Skydance Media. “We look forward to partnering with them to expand this incredible universe into the world of live-action.”

"I am thrilled to partner with Skydance to create live-action adaptations of Miraculous. It’s been my long-time dream to bring this world to life,” said Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG. “The Skydance team really understands and embraces the vision we have for this very special superhero love story. They have an incredible track record of producing exciting action with compelling characters and are the perfect team to express the magic and adventure of Ladybug and Cat Noir.”

Miraculous - Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir follows the adventures of two seemingly typical teens with secret identities, Marinette and Adrien, who magically transform into superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir. As secret superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir are partners in the action. But in the daytime, Marinette is just a normal girl, living a normal life. Cat Noir will do anything to support and impress Ladybug, but does not know this is Marinette from his class. Marinette, the regular girl, in turn dreams of Adrien and simply gets little response. When evil threatens Paris, their beloved City of Lights, can they beat the unexpected villains? Miraculous taps into first love, secrets, friends, magic, duality and the romance of Paris.


About ZAG
ZAG is a global independent entertainment studio specializing in the creation and production of original, high-quality IP for kids and family in the film and TV sector. The company was founded in France in 2009 by Jeremy Zag, who expanded operations to Japan, the U.S., and Canada, between 2012 and 2017. Since inception, the company has produced more than 200 half-hours of high-quality CGI-animated content licensed to major broadcasters and digital partners in over 130 territories. ZAG has established the ZAG HEROEZ brand label that incorporates the broad universe of all its modern-day superhero stories to be told across TV, film and digital platforms. The company is most well-known for its global animation hit, ZAG HEROEZ Miraculous - Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (78 x 22’), which premiered in 2015. Created by ZAG and co-produced by Method Animation, part of On Kids and Family. Season two and three of the series are co-produced by Zagtoon and Method Animation. Over 300 licensees have launched 3000+ products for the brand to date. ZAG was named “Breakout Studio of the Year” in 2016 by Animation Magazine’s World Animation Network. For more information: www.zag-inc.com, https://www.youtube.com/c/miraculousladybug

About Skydance Media
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high-quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories with immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive and animation divisions. Recent feature films include Mission: Impossible–Fallout and Annihilation. Skydance’s upcoming feature films include Top Gun: Maverick, 6 Underground, Gemini Man and the Untitled Terminator project. Skydance Television launched in 2013, and its current slate includes two Emmy-nominated series, Grace and Frankie and Altered Carbon, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Condor, Dietland and Foundation. Skydance Interactive launched in 2016 to create and publish original and IP-based virtual reality video games; their library includes the mech-shooter game Archangel: Hellfire and the upcoming 2019 title The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. In 2017, Skydance formed an animation division to develop and produce a slate of high-end feature films and television series in partnership with Spain’s Ilion Animation Studios.

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Thursday, September 13, 2018

"Just Mercy," Starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, Begins Shooting

Cameras Roll on the True-Life Drama “Just Mercy”

Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson star in the film, which brings one of the most important stories of our time to the big screen

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography began on Warner Bros. Pictures’ inspiring drama “Just Mercy,” based on the award-winning nonfiction bestseller by Bryan Stevenson. The film stars Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed,” upcoming “Creed II”) and Oscar winners Jamie Foxx (“Ray,” “Baby Driver,” “Django: Unchained”) and Brie Larson (“Room,” “The Glass Castle,” upcoming “Captain Marvel”). Award-winning filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (“The Glass Castle,” “Short Term 12”) is directing “Just Mercy.”

A powerful and thought-provoking true story, “Just Mercy” follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.

The film is being produced by two-time Oscar nominee Gil Netter (“Life of Pi,” “The Blind Side”) and Asher Goldstein (“Short Term 12”), with Mike Drake, Michael B. Jordan, Bryan Stevenson, Gabriel Hammond, Daniel Hammond and Niija Kuykendall serving as executive producers. Cretton is helming the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Andrew Lanham (“The Glass Castle”), based on Stevenson’s book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Published in 2014 by Spiegel & Grau, the book has spent 118 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers List, and counting, and was named one of the year’s best books by a number of top publications, including TIME Magazine. For the book, Stevenson also won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, an NAACP Image Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Nonfiction.

The main cast also includes O’Shea Jackson Jr. (“Straight Outta Compton”) as Anthony Ray Hinton, another wrongly convicted death row inmate whose cause is taken up by Bryan; Rob Morgan (“Mudbound”) as Herbert Richardson, who also sits on death row awaiting his fate; and Tim Blake Nelson (“Wormwood”) as Ralph Myers, whose pivotal testimony against Walter McMillian is called into question.

The creative team working with Cretton behind the scenes includes director of photography Brett Pawlak, production designer Sharon Seymour, editor Nat Sanders and composer Joel P. West, all of whom previously collaborated with the director on “The Glass Castle.” They are joined by costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (“Detroit,” “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”).

“Just Mercy” is being shot almost entirely on location in and around Atlanta, Georgia, with a few scenes also filmed in Montgomery, Alabama.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, a Gil Netter Production, an Outlier Society Production, “Just Mercy” is slated for release on January 17, 2020, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Wednesday, September 12, 2018

SuBLime Announces Yaoi Manga, "Escape Journey"

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SUBLIME RELEASES OGERETSU TANAKA’S ESCAPE JOURNEY

Love Is Rekindled In New Series ESCAPE JOURNEYAvailable This Fall

San Francisco, CA – SuBLime, the leading global English-language yaoi manga publisher, delivers the eagerly awaited English-language debut of creator Ogeretsu Tanaka’s manga series ESCAPE JOURNEY on September 11th, 2018.

The new series about a love that is rekindled between a pair of former schoolmates is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers. Print editions will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN each. Digital editions will carry an MSRP of $6.99 U.S. Readers have two methods of digital access to the series on SuBLimeManga.com – via a DRM-free downloadable PDF, viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, as well as via the online manga viewer. Readers can also purchase a digital version through the NOOK, Kindle and Kobo eReaders as well as on Google Play and ComiXology. SuBLime will publish subsequent volumes of the series three times a year, ending with volume 3.

In ESCAPE JOURNEY, Naoto and Taichi’s first try at love during their high school days crashed and burned. Years later the two unexpectedly reunite on their first day of college. Tumultuous love often burns hot, and the glowing embers of their previous relationship reignite into a second try at love.

“Fans are going to enjoy this love story about high school ex’s rediscovering in adulthood their complicated feelings for each other,” says SuBLime Editor, Jennifer LeBlanc. “Like it or not, Taichi and Naoto still have an undeniable chemistry. Find out if these college students overcome their high school hang-ups or instead make the same mistakes that originally tore them apart.”

In addition to creating boys’ love manga, Ogeretsu Tanaka also creates non-BL stories under the pen name Tanaka Marumero. Readers can find out more about Ogeretsu Tanaka on her Twitter page, @tanaca.

Visit SuBLimeManga.com for a complete array of additional yaoi manga titles that are available digitally in a download-to-own format for $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) each and are viewable as a PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer or accessed via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga, Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga, Tumblr at http://sublimemanga.tumblr.com/, and Instagram at @sublimemanga/.


About SuBLime
SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher presenting English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high-quality titles. SuBLime offers titles digitally worldwide at SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in a Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2018

BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for September 12, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

JUL181421    GARFIELD HOMECOMING #4    $3.99
MAY181239    GARFIELD ORIGINAL GN VOL 05 TROUBLE IN PARADISE    $9.99
JUL181362    LOW ROAD WEST #1 (OF 5)    $3.99
JUL181394    MECH CADET YU #12    $3.99
MAY181194    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS TP VOL 06    $16.99
JUL181413    RUINWORLD #3 (OF 5)    $3.99
MAY181222    SLAM NEXT JAM TP    $14.99
MAY181184    TONY MILLIONAIRE SEA MONSTER COLORING BOOK SC    $16.99
JUL181378    WELCOME TO WANDERLAND #1 (OF 4)    $3.99
JUL188257    WELCOME TO WANDERLAND #1 (OF 4) FOC WILLIAMS EXC    $3.99
JUL181372    WWE NXT TAKEOVER PROVING GROUND #1 MAIN    $3.99
JUL181373    WWE NXT TAKEOVER PROVING GROUND #1 SUBSCRIPTION DALFONSO VAR    $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 12, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS
MAY180323    ALCOHOLIC TENTH ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION TP (MR)    $19.99
MAY180370    ALIENS PREDATOR PROMETHEUS AVP COMPLETE LIFE DEATH HC    $49.99
MAY180324    ANTHONY BOURDAINS HUNGRY GHOSTS HC (MR)    $14.99
JUL180471    BPRD DEVIL YOU KNOW #10    $3.99
MAY180362    BTVS SEASON 10 LIBRARY HC VOL 02    $29.99
MAY180354    CRIMINY TP VOL 01    $12.99
JUL180464    DISNEY FROZEN BREAKING BOUNDARIES #2 CVR A    $3.99
JUL180465    DISNEY FROZEN BREAKING BOUNDARIES #2 CVR B FRANCISCO    $3.99
MAY180357    DRAGON AGE STOLEN THRONE DELUXE EDITION HC    $29.99
JUL180468    JOE GOLEM #1 (OF 5) THE DROWNING CITY    $3.99
MAY180373    KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS TP    $19.99
JUL180423    MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 #1 CVR A NAUCK    $3.99
JUL180424    MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 #1 CVR B VANCE    $3.99
JUL180446    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #6 CVR A (MR)    $3.99
JUL180447    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #6 CVR B MACK (MR)    $3.99
MAY180364    PLANTS VS ZOMBIES HC GARDEN WARFARE VOL 02    $9.99
JUL180433    SEEDS #2 (MR)    $3.99
JUL180434    SHE COULD FLY #3 (MR)    $4.99
JUL180486    WORLD OF TANKS CITADEL #5 (OF 5)    $3.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 12, 2018

DC COMICS

JAN180393    ABSOLUTE BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE HC    $49.99
JUN180567    ALL STAR BATMAN TP VOL 03 THE FIRST ALLY    $16.99
JUN180561    BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP VOL 01 25TH ANNIVERSARY ED    $19.99
MAR180337    BATMAN THE ARKHAM SAGA OMNIBUS HC    $150.00
JUL180631    CATWOMAN #3    $3.99
JUL180632    CATWOMAN #3 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180637    DETECTIVE COMICS #988    $3.99
JUL180638    DETECTIVE COMICS #988 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180641    FLASH #54    $3.99
JUL180642    FLASH #54 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180655    HAWKMAN #4    $3.99
JUL180656    HAWKMAN #4 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180609    HOUSE OF WHISPERS #1 (MR)    $3.99
JUL180610    HOUSE OF WHISPERS #1 VAR ED (MR)    $3.99
JUL180657    IMMORTAL MEN #6    $2.99
JUN180582    JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 07 JUSTICE LOST    $14.99
JUN180584    NIGHTWING TP VOL 06 THE UNTOUCHABLE    $19.99
JUL180680    PLASTIC MAN #4 (OF 6)    $3.99
JUL180682    RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #26    $3.99
JUL180683    RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #26 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180685    SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #29    $3.99
JUL180686    SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #29 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180688    SIDEWAYS #8    $2.99
JUL180617    SUICIDE SQUAD #46 SINK ATLANTIS    $3.99
JUL180618    SUICIDE SQUAD #46 VAR ED SINK ATLANTIS    $3.99
JUL180690    SUPERGIRL #22    $3.99
JUL180691    SUPERGIRL #22 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180692    SUPERMAN #3    $3.99
JUL180693    SUPERMAN #3 HUGHES VAR ED    $3.99
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JUL180699    TITANS #25    $4.99
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JUL180706    WILDSTORM MICHAEL CRAY #11    $3.99
JUL180707    WONDER WOMAN #54    $3.99
JUL180708    WONDER WOMAN #54 VAR ED    $3.99
JUN180592    WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 06 CHILDREN OF THE GODS    $16.99

Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for September 12, 2018

D. E.

JUN181066    CHARLENE HARRIS CEMETERY GIRL HC VOL 03 HAUNTED SGN ED    $49.99
JUL181259    CHARLIES ANGELS #4 CVR A EISMA    $3.99
JUL181260    CHARLIES ANGELS #4 CVR B CIFUENTES    $3.99
JUL181263    DEJAH THORIS #8 CVR A GALINDO    $3.99
JUL181264    DEJAH THORIS #8 CVR B ROUX    $3.99
JUL181265    DEJAH THORIS #8 CVR C QUALANO    $3.99
JUN181089    ELVIRA MISTRESS OF DARK #2 CVR A LINSNER    $3.99
JUN181090    ELVIRA MISTRESS OF DARK #2 CVR B CERMAK    $3.99
JUN181091    ELVIRA MISTRESS OF DARK #2 CVR C HACK    $3.99
JUN181092    ELVIRA MISTRESS OF DARK #2 CVR D PHOTO    $3.99
JUL181281    NANCY DREW #4 CVR A LOTAY    $3.99
JUL181282    NANCY DREW #4 CVR B BARTEL    $3.99
JUL181283    NANCY DREW #4 CVR C ST ONGE    $3.99