News

German outfit Epsilon Film has taken world distribution rights to family sequelLassie And The Wild Bear and will be pre-selling the project at the European Film Market.

Shooting is likely to take place this summer.

This will be the third Lassie adventure from German producer Henning Ferber (Henning Ferber Filmproduktions). His previous features with the collie, Lassie Come Home (2019) and Lassie – A New Adventure (2022), sold widely around the world.

In the new film, the famous dog and her human friend Flo, now 17, spend the summer at a camp. Lassie bonds with a new pal, Nova, a 10-year-old outsider, and has various adventures involving hunters,...

Lassie – A New Adventure marks the return of everyone’s favorite collie detective in another entertaining mystery. Directed by Hanno Olderdissen, this German family film from 2023 finds young Flo and his beloved dog Lassie facing a new case in the picturesque landscapes of South Tyrol.

Though Flo would rather spend his summer with Lassie than vacationing without her, the duo encounters more excitement than planned when dogs start mysteriously vanishing across the countryside. Teaming up with Flo’s aunt and new friends, clever Lassie uses her unmatched tracking skills to help solve the crime and rescue the kidnapped pups.

Child actor Nico Marischka is well-suited as the brave but compassionate hero Flo, eager to do right by his furry friend. Lassie herself continues to captivate viewers old and new, charming audiences with her dedication to protecting others through charm instead of words. Their close bond anchors this adventure’s...

European production and sales studio Vuelta Group has bought German producer Telepool from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.

The deal, struck through Vuelta subsidiary SquareOne, will see a combined business operating under the SquareOne banner. SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany CEO Al Munteanu will lead the banner, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO and COO.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the combined group will boast a library of over 1,200 titles such as Drive, Intouchables, Olympus Has Fallen, Transporter 3 and the recently released One Life. It will form part of the growing Vuelta Group, which in July last year we revealed had formed through the acquisitions of SquareOne, Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.

Vuelta Group Chairman Jeromt Levy, who launched the group with $50M backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm, announced the news today along with Munteanu.

German distributor-producer SquareOne Entertainment, part of rising European film studio Vuelta Group, has acquired German film and TV production, distribution and licensing company Telepool, which was owned by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.

The news was announced Wednesday by Vuelta Group chairman Jerome Levy and CEO of SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany Al Munteanu.

Munteanu will spearhead the newly combined entity under the SquareOne banner with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.

The newly combined SquareOne entity will boast a library consisting of over 1,200 titles such as “Drive,” “Intouchables,” “The Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Imitation Game,” “Lone Survivor,” “Book Club,” “Transporter 3,” “King Richard,” “Maurice the Tomcat” and the recently released “One Life” among others.

“For over 60 years, Telepool has been one of the leading global content houses and we are proud of the work we did with the company,” said Westbrook CEO Kosaku Yada.

Action comedy The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt heads the new titles at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, opening in 702 cinemas through Universal.

Directed by David Leith, The Fall Guy is written by Drew Pearce and loosely based on a 1980s TV series of the same name about stunt performers.

Gosling plays a stuntman working on his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut action film, where he becomes involved in a conspiracy surrounding the lead actor.

The Fall Guy debuted at SXSW on March 12; it is Gosling’s first credit as producer since his 2014 directorial debut Lost River.

Warner Bros.’ “Challengers,” led by Zendaya, debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.6 million ($2 million), according to numbers from Comscore.

In its third weekend, Studiocanal’s “Back to Black” dropped to second place with £1.4 million for a total of £8.9 million. In third position, in its fifth weekend, Universal’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” collected £948,033 for a total of £19.7 million.

Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Civil War” placed fourth with £755,426 for a total of £5.1 million. Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” with £597,587 in its fifth weekend for a total of £13.7 million.

The other debut in the top 10 was Anime Ltd’s “Spy x Family Code: White,” which debuted in eighth place with £280,729.

Coming up, there are two releases on May 2 ahead of the long bank holiday weekend in the territory. Universal is opening “The Fall Guy,” starring Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling, Hannah Waddingham and Aaron Taylor-Johnson,...

Eponymous hero tackles a pooch-pinching operation by getting captured in this old-fashioned production

In some ways, the Lassie films are like the canine answer to the James Bond series. Both have literary antecedents, both have been big screen successes for MGM, and the basic formula remains essentially the same: a hero saves the day. The equivalent of Sean Connery is probably Pal, the rough collie dog who portrayed Lassie in seven feature films in the 1940s and 1950s. In Lassie: A New Adventure, Lassie is played by Bandit, who brings what is needed to the role, in a slick, handsome, functional way that suggests the Lassie franchise is perhaps in its Pierce Brosnan era, though unfortunately more Die Another Day doldrums than GoldenEye high point.

It bears mentioning at this point that the film is more properly titled Lassie – Ein Neues Abenteuer; this is a German production which has...

Leonine Studios, one of Germany’s leading film and TV companies, has set up Leonine Animation Studios together with Hans Ulrich Stoef and Jo Daris, the managing directors of Toon2Tango.

The three partners will each contribute their shares in Toon2Tango to the new division on Jan. 1, 2024, and will channel all their animation output through it going forward. Toon2Tango becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leonine Animation Studios.

Leonine Studios, which has held a 25.1% stake in Toon2Tango since October 2022, holds a 50% stake in Leonine Animation Studios, with Stoef and Daris also jointly holding 50%. Leonine has the option to acquire a controlling majority in Leonine Animation Studios from 2025.

The managing directors of Leonine Animation Studios are Bernhard zu Castell, who as Leonine’s chief distribution officer is responsible for the distribution and licensing division of the company, Stoef and Daris.

Leonine describes Leonine Animation Studios as “a growth and investment platform for the development,...

German production powerhouse Leonine Studios has launched an animation studio as it ups its stake in Mia and Me producer Toon2Tango.

Toon2Tango will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leonine Animation Studios from 1 January and Leonine will take a 50% stake, with Toon2Tango founders Hans Ulrich Stoef and Jo Daris holding the other half. Stoef and Daris will run the studio with Chief Distribution Officer Bernhard zu Castell.

Leonine described the studio as a “growth and investment platform for the development, production and acquisition of new IPs with international scope as well as other selective M&a activities in the animation sector.” Leonine has the option to acquire a controlling majority from next year.

Leonine already makes a number of animation shows including The School of Magical Animals, Lassie – a New Adventure and The Ogglies. Toon2Tango, meanwhile, has found global success with international hit Mia and Me and...