News

Greenbird Flies To New Owner

Scotland’s Stv Studios has acquired the 15 companies operated by “Lego Masters” company Greenbird Media for £21.4 million ($27.3 million). Israel’s Keshet International acquired 60% of Greenbird five years ago. Stv Studios has now acquired 100% of Greenbird, including Keshet’s stake.

Greenbird founders, Jamie Munro and Stuart Mullin, will join the Stv Studios board in the roles of chief commercial officer and finance and integration director respectively, working alongside COO, Paul Sheehan, and under the leadership of MD, David Mortimer.

The deal boosts the number of labels within Stv Studios from nine to 24. As a result of the acquisition, Stv Studios now has expanded bases in Glasgow and London, as well as offices in Cardiff, Belfast, Brighton and Manchester.

Hit shows made by the producers in Greenbird’s cluster include: “Lego Masters” (Tuesday’s Child for Channel 4/Fox) and “The Hit List” (Tuesday’s Child for BBC One...

Filming set to begin on Cantonese-language remake in September.

Hong Kong stars Selena Lee, Kenny Kwan and Adam Pak are to take the lead roles in an Asian remake of Richard Linklater’s 2001 drama Tape, which is set to begin filming next month.

The film will be directed by Bizhan Tong as a co-production between Tong’s Phoenix Waters Productions, Marvion and Agog Films.

The original starred Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard and took place in real time. The remake – also titled Tape – centres on three friends who, following an event at a graduation party that transforms their lives,...

Selena Lee, Kenny Kwan, and Adam Pak lead the cast of “Tape,” a Cantonese-language remake of the Richard Linklater drama film that debuted in 2001. The new film is to be directed by Bizhan Tong with cameras set to roll next month in Hong Kong.

“Tape” tells the story of 3 best friends who, following an event at a graduation party that transforms their lives, reunite 15 years later where a case of blackmail forces them to confront a terrible secret from their past.

The original film starred Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard and played at the Sundance, Toronto and Rotterdam festivals.

In Tong’s remake, Kwan, Lee, and Pak play the contemporary characters while Mason Fung, Summer Chan, and Angus Yeung portray their younger versions.

The script is written by Stephen Belber, Tong, Lee and Bonnie Lo, and is an adaptation of Belber’s own scripts from both the original film and stage play.

Mirror singer and actor Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming action thriller Chungking Mansions. Billed as Hong Kong’s biggest zombie film ever, the Phoenix Waters Productions pic, in co-production with Amm Global and Salon Films Japan, has also added Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korea’s Choi Si-Hun and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung.

They join previously announced cast members including Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singapore’s Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.

Chungking Mansions tells the story of a disparate group of people from across the globe who must climb the iconic Chungking Mansions building amidst a zombie outbreak in Hong Kong. Centered around an American seeking to rescue his pregnant wife, the action moves between people of all nationalities across the city who are undergoing their own journeys to survive.

Lo, who became the most Googled Hong Kong...

Upcoming action thriller to be sold at Filmart.

Hong Kong singer Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming zombie thriller Chungking Mansions, which is being discussed with buyers at Filmart Online this week.

Lo is a member of popular boyband Mirror and previously starred in hit Bl series Ossan’s Love.

Further additions to the cast include Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung. Davika Hoorne, known for Pee Mak, Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, also joins the cast, taking over a...

Anson Lo, part of Hong Kong pop sensation Mirror, has joined the cast of “Chungking Mansions,” an ambitious zombie film that is currently in advanced preparation.

Alongside Lo, Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung join the previously announced Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singaporean actors Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.

Davika Hoorne, who previously starred in “Pee Mak,” Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, will also join. She takes over a role previously assigned to Angel Locsin as the assistant to the American protagonist’s pregnant wife.

Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions. The labyrinthine building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” and is arguably the richest cultural...

Exclusive: Endeavor Content has joined Cantonese-language crime-drama series Forensic Psychologist to handle global distribution and remake rights.

Currently in production in Hong Kong, the 12 x 30’ crime-drama stars Jeannie Chan (Cold War 2) as Dr. Mandy Cheung, who in each episode must investigate a suspect to determine if they are fit to stand trial. The interrogation room drama explores the minds of people charged with incomprehensible crimes and sees Dr. Cheung’s personal and professional lives start to blur.

Producing are Phoenix Waters Productions and Salon Films Japan Co. Ltd.

Also starring are Crisel Consunji (Still Human), Wiyona Yeung (We Are Legends), Locker Lam (Zero To Hero), Bryant Mak (My Prince Edward), “Jw” Joey Wong (Fraudstars), singer Eunice Chan (Murder Diary), Stephanie Au (Battle Of The Seven Sisters) and Stephen Wong Ka-Lok (Captain Of Destiny).

The producers and Endeavor are in early stage development on a U.S. remake.

Alistair Jennings,...

Sales

Red Arrow International has sold documentary “Controlling Britney Spears” to a raft of territories. The 75-minute documentary contains new allegations from insiders with intimate knowledge of the pop icon’s daily life under her controversial conservatorship.

The documentary has been sold to Sky (U.K.), Nine (Australia), Crave (Canada), Three (New Zealand), Talpa TV (the Netherlands), Vgtv (Norway), TV2 (Denmark), TV4, MTV and Cmore (Sweden and Finland), Discovery (Italy and Philippines), Originals Factory (French and German-speaking Europe), HOT8 (Israel), yes-Dbs (Israel), TV Nova’s streamer Voyo (Czech Republic and Slovakia), Pro Plus (Slovenia), Globo for its GloboPlay streaming service (Brazil), and Tvn Grupa Discovery (Poland) including for its streaming platform Player.

“Controlling Britney Spears” is a follow-up to “Framing Britney Spears” and was produced in partnership by The New York Times and Left/Right, a Red Arrow Studios company. It premiered last month on FX and Hulu in the U.