LOS ANGELES, CA – July 21st, 2011
Artist International packages deal with Mandalay Vision for graphic novel property
Zenescope Entertainment’s popular horror/thriller graphic novel series, THE PIPER, has entered the feature film development process with Mandalay Vision, an independent development, production, and financing company, through a deal packaged by Artist International (AI). AI represents the growing library of entertainment properties from Zenescope, a major comic book and graphic novel publisher, and helped Zenescope strike a deal with Matthew Rhodes, President at Mandalay Vision, to put the movie project into development. Rhodes had long been enamored with THE PIPER’s feature film potential after originally picking up an option on the property when he previously ran Persistent Entertainment.
Adam Alleca (LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT) has been tapped to pen the screenplay. Joining Rhodes in producing will be Aaron Cruze, Dan Keston, Artist International President Dave Brown, and Zenescope co-founder Joe Brusha and editor-in-chief Ralph Tedesco.
THE PIPER first made a splash on newsstands in 2007 as a modern, horror-skewed version of the ancient Pied Piper story. This time around, the Piper is summoned by a high school student and does his job a little too well by methodically trying to kill all the student’s classmates and teachers.
The pairing of Zenescope and Mandalay Vision is a good fit, according to those involved on both sides.
“Zenescope is a fantastic independent company with a strong voice in comics and graphic novels,” says Rhodes. “We are thrilled to be playing with the Piper.”
“Matt Rhodes has a wonderful vision for the film, and is an incredibly collaborative producer,” adds Zenescope’s Ralph Tedesco. “We’re thrilled that Mandalay Vision is spearheading the project, and we’re confident that this team will bring the true essence of THE PIPER to the big screen.”
ABOUT ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT:
Zenescope Entertainment was founded in 2005 by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco and has quickly grown into one of the top ten comic book and graphic novel publishing companies in the world. Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales and subsequent spinoff series, including Escape From Wonderland, Neverland, and The Piper, all put dark twists on classic fables and are some of the best-selling and longest running original independent comic books on shelves today. Zenescope’s licensed titles include the ongoing, critically acclaimed Charmed series, based on the long-running popular television series, as well as Se7en and Final Destination, based on New Line Cinema’s successful film franchises. Zenescope Entertainment is represented by Dave Brown and Matt Horwitz of Artist International. Find Zenescope on the web at www.zenescope.com, www.facebook.com/zenescope, and on Twitter @Zenescope.
ABOUT MANDALAY VISION:
Mandalay Vision is the independent development, production, and financing subsidiary of Mandalay Pictures. The Mandalay Vision label focuses on innovative storytelling with premier talent. The company premiered two such films at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival—Salvation Boulevard, directed by George Ratliff and starring Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris and Marisa Tomei, which sold to IFC and Sony and was released on July 15, 2011; and Another Happy Day, the debut film from writer/director Sam Levinson, starring Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Bosworth, Ezra Miller, and Demi Moore. Mandalay Vision’s initial release was Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated film, The Kids Are Alright.
ABOUT ARTIST INTERNATIONAL:
Artist International is a management/production company which partners with artists to create great content. The company provides professional representation to actors, writers, directors, athletes, music performers, artists, and other entertainment properties. Its four divisions—music, literary, sports, and talent—operate with the singular focus of understanding the goals, passions, and talents of its clients and maximizing their potential. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Hollywood Studios International, Artist International is positioned to collaborate with artists to bring new content to life, whether by internal means or external partnerships.
ABOUT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS INTERNATIONAL:
Hollywood Studios International, founded by Steven Saxton, is a privately held media holding company focused on the intelligent deployment of capital in the entertainment industry. The company has developed a portfolio of fee-based businesses ranging from talent representation to international distribution.
Find out more at:
Artist International
www.artistint.com
Hollywood Studios International
www.hollywoodstudios.co
