Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced
that they have acquired the worldwide distribuition rights for the upcoming
feature adaptation of the popular smart phone and tablet video game, Angry
Birds.
Rovio Entertainment, the studio behind the
game, is going to develop, produce and finance the movie themselves, alongside
John Cohen (Despicable Me) and David Maisel (Iron Man) as producers.
No director or screenwriter have yet been
announced, but production is ready to begin in the next few months, since Sony
as announced their plans to have Angry Birds The Movie hit the theaters on July
of 2016.
Press
Release:
ROVIO’S
ANGRY BIRDS FEATURE FILM NESTS AT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Animated
3D Comedy Slated For July 1, 2016
CULVER CITY, Calif., May 15, 2013 – Sony
Pictures Entertainment has won the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to
the eagerly anticipated Angry Birds animated film, making it one of the most
high-profile deals of the year. The 3D film is being developed, produced, and
financed by Rovio Entertainment and will be released worldwide by Sony Pictures
on July 1, 2016. Several major studios pursued the global film rights in
recent weeks, with Sony Pictures Entertainment emerging as the winner.
Michael Lynton, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures
Entertainment, Amy Pascal, Co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and
Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment jointly announced their partnership
today. John Cohen and David Maisel – producer of Despicable Me and executive
producer of Iron Man, respectively – are both on board for the new Angry Birds
feature film. Cohen will serve as producer and Maisel is executive producer.
Commenting on the announcement, Mikael Hed said, “Sony
impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism.
They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us
market and distribute our first motion picture. Michael, Amy, Jeff Blake,
Sony’s marketing and distribution head, and their teams will be the best
possible collaborators as we get set to take our franchise to the next level.”
Lynton and Pascal said, “Every studio in town would
love to add Angry Birds to their slate. There are few titles out there that
bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the
table. We’re thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the
beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to
work on future projects together.”
David Maisel and John Cohen said, “We are very excited
to join with Sony Pictures in presenting this movie to the world in 2016 and we
will have many more announcements as we begin production in the coming months.”
Angry Birds is one of the world’s biggest
entertainment franchises, starting in 2009 with the original mobile game that
remains the number one paid app of all time. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly
into entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international
brand.
Angry Birds has been praised for its great value and
simple, casual gameplay. Players use a slingshot to launch birds at green pigs
in an attempt to get their eggs back, with the game setting the model for what
is possible in terms of game development and commercial success. To date, the
Angry Birds and Bad Piggies games have been downloaded more than 1.7 billion
times across platforms and versions.
The upcoming movie marks Rovio Entertainment’s first
foray into feature films, although fans have already been introduced to the
Angry Birds world with the weekly Angry Birds Toons animated series. Rovio
launched the series in March through its Angry Birds apps as well as on select
video-on-demand channel providers, Smart TVs, connected devices, and on select
TV networks around the world. Paving the way for a full-length feature film,
Angry Birds Toons has been a massive success for Rovio clocking in over 150
million views from the Angry Birds apps alone within the first six weeks.
While known for distributing world renowned motion
picture franchises such as Spider-Man, Sony Pictures has been building a strong
reputation in contemporary animation through its house production unit, Sony
Pictures Animation, and hit films including Hotel Transylvania, The Smurfs,
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Surf’s Up, Open Season, and Aardman’s Arthur
Christmas and The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
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