HOLLYWOOD, CA–(Marketwire -04/30/12)- Seven Arts Entertainment
Inc. (SAPX – News) (“Seven
Arts”) and Prodigy Pictures (“Prodigy”) announced today that Seven Arts has
executed an agreement with di Bonaventura Pictures for the services of Lorenzo
di Bonaventura. Di Bonaventura and his producing partner, Mark Vahradian, along
with Prodigy’s Jay Firestone and Vincenzo Natali’s partner, Steve Hoban, will
produce the highly anticipated feature film “Neuromancer,” which is based on the
best selling novel of the same name by William Gibson. “Neuromancer” is to be
directed by Vincenzo Natali.
During his tenure as a senior production executive at Warner Bros., Lorenzo
di Bonaventura, among other accomplishments, discovered and shepherded the
production of “The Matrix” and “Harry Potter” series of films. His production
company, di Bonaventura Pictures, is currently based at Paramount Pictures and
is responsible for producing the “Transformers” series of films, “G.I. Joe,”
“Salt,” “Red,” and the recently released “The Devil Inside” and “Man On A
Ledge.”
Natali’s credits include “Splice,” starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, as
well as the cult psychological thriller “Cube.” “Splice” was released in
thousands of theaters nationwide by Warner Bros., following a sensational debut
at the Sundance Film Festival.
Published in 1984, “Neuromancer” was the first winner of the science fiction
“triple crown,” receiving the prestigious Nebula Award, Philip K. Dick Award and
the Hugo Award. “Neuromancer” was also listed on Time magazine’s list of 100
best English-language novels written since 1923. By 2007, William Gibson’s
archetypal cyberpunk novel had sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide.
“Neuromancer” will be produced as a UK-Canadian-Hungarian co-production by
Neuromancer Productions UK Limited (an affiliate of Seven Arts and GFM Films
LLP) in the UK, Pioneer Pictures KFT in Hungary and an affiliate of Prodigy in
Canada. Shooting on the $60m budget feature is planned for later this year, with
anticipated distribution ready for the autumn of 2013.
GFM Films LLP, Seven Arts’ joint venture partner, and Jon Levin at CAA were
both instrumental in securing the deal with di Bonaventura and his producing
partner, Mark Vahradian.
Peter Hoffman, CEO of Seven Arts, commented, “Jay and I are thrilled that two
of the most successful and talented producers in the industry have joined our
most important project. Lorenzo and Mark will also join with Vincenzo Natali,
our very talented director, in bringing to the screen the incredible vision of
William Gibson.”
Jay Firestone commented “Lorenzo and Mark bring a wealth of success and
experience to this project. Having them on board solidifies a strong and
creative team that is dedicated to producing the groundbreaking and thought
provoking cult classic that is ‘Neuromancer.’”
Guy Collins, Partner in GFM, commented, “It is a great plus for ‘Neuromancer’
that has been developed with such passion and commitment by Peter, Vincenzo and
Jay to have Lorenzo and Mark taking the production helm. Their knowledge of this
genre and success in production augurs well for the movie and all our
distribution partners who have already joined the film.”
About Seven Arts: Seven Arts Entertainment Inc. is the successor to
Seven Arts Pictures Plc, which was founded in 2002 as an independent motion
picture production and distribution company engaged in the development,
acquisition, financing, production, and licensing of theatrical motion pictures
for exhibition in domestic (i.e., the United States and Canada) and foreign
theatrical markets, and for subsequent worldwide release in other forms of
media, including home video and pay and free television.
About Prodigy Pictures: Founded in 2006 by Jay Firestone, Prodigy
Pictures leads the way in the production of quality film, television, and
cross-platform media. Prodigy is responsible for the critically acclaimed
television series “Lost Girl,” which has electrified viewers around the world
and is currently in production on its third season in Toronto. In January 2012,
“Lost Girl” made its highly successful U.S. broadcast debut on Syfy channel and
will begin airing season two on Syfy in April. Also in production is “XIII.2,”
the second season of the Canada-France coproduction and international success,
“XIII: The Series.” Prodigy’s other credits include the critically acclaimed
feature “Stuck” and the television mini-series “XIII,” broadcast on NBC. The
company has several feature film and television projects in development,
including William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” and “Weapon,” in partnership with
Studio 37.
About di Bonaventura Pictures: Formed by Lorenzo di Bonaventura in
January 2003, di Bonaventura Pictures is based at Paramount Pictures. Most
recently di Bonaventura Pictures has produced the box-office hits
“Transformers,” “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen” and “Transformers: Dark of
the Moon,” all directed by Michael Bay and starring Shia LaBeouf; “Shooter,”
directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Mark Wahlberg; the big screen adaption of
the popular comic book, “G.I. Joe: Rise Of The Cobra” and its forthcoming sequel
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation;” the espionage thriller “Salt” for Sony Pictures and
starring Angelina Jolie; Summit Entertainment’s “Red,” an espionage thriller
based on the graphic novel by Warren Ellis starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman
and Helen Mirren; the sleeper hit “The Devil Inside;” and “Man On A Ledge,”
starring Sam Worthington. Upcoming productions include “The Last Stand” starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger for Lionsgate; “The Bitter Pill,” directed by Steven
Soderbergh and starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law and Channing Tatum; the film
adaptation of John Grisham’s “The Associate,” directed by Adrian Lyne; the
sequel to 2010′s “Red,” starring Bruce Willis; “Asteroids,” based on the 1980s
Atari videogame for Universal Pictures; the live-action feature “Lion, Tigers
and Bear,” based on the Mike Bullock comic book series for Paramount Pictures;
and the crime thriller “Delivering Gen.” The company is also developing a series
of feature films based on Michael Scott’s young-adult fantasy novels “The
Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.” In 2011, the company branched into
television production with the formation of di Bonaventura Pictures Television.
Based at ABC Studios, di Bonaventura Pictures Television is currently developing
the comedies “The Wonderful Women of Will’s World,” about a charismatic man who
tries to juggle life with his two ex-wives, his new younger wife and his three
children, and “Blondie & Clyde,” a modern-day “Laverne & Shirley” about
two women with big-town dreams who live in small-town Iowa; and several yet to
be titled dramas.
Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made under the
Safe Harbor Provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from the anticipated.
Contact:
