After months of speculation the upcoming Roland Emmerich/Centropolis Entertainment sci-fi Moonfall has found a Chinese distributor and will be handled by Huayi Brothers.
The company will serve as executive produce and distribute the story about a scratch team sent to correct the Moon’s orbit after a mysterious force sends it hurtling on a collision course with Earth.
AGC International and CAA Media Finance brokered the deal after launching sales in Cannes last summer. Huayi Brothers and its partners, including Hong Kong affiliate Huayi Tencent Entertainment, will provide equity funding for the production. Centropolis raised equity funding together with CAA Media Finance and AGC.
Emmerich, whose last release Midway has grossed close to $140m worldwide, will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with his 2012 co-writer Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen.
Casting is currently underway for the project which is scheduled to begin production this spring.
Emmerich is producing Moonfall via his Centropolis with Kloser through his Street Entertainment. Dennis Wang and CEO and co-founder James Wang from Huayi Brothers are executive producers along with Ute Emmerich, AGC International chief Stuart Ford, J.P. Pettinato, Carsten Lorenz, and Marco Shepherd.
Distribution partners include Lionsgate in North America, Entertainment Film in the UK, Leonine in Germany and Switzerland, Metropolitan in France, Sun in Latin America and Spain, IIF in Italy, Roadshow in Australia, Kino Film in Japan, Noori Pictures in South Korea, Central Partnership in Russia, and DFW in Benelux.
“Roland Emmerich is a cinematic master, and his films – 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, and Independence Day – are so deeply loved by Chinese audiences that Huayi Brothers is proud to partner with his latest science fiction saga, Moonfall, in both its production and distribution,” said James Wang.
”We believe that the most effective way to facilitate worldwide cultural exchange is in collaboration with top artists, and this project marks a milestone for us as a solid content creator in the international film business. Moonfall reinforces Huayi’s strategy of integrating global resources and exploring innovative ways to promote Chinese culture internationally.”
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