In the latest US-China pact to take root in Hollywood, QED International and Huayi Brothers Media Company have formed a strategic distribution and co-production partnership.
The alliance kicks off with David Ayer’s tank film Fury, which Huayi Brothers will distribute in China and stars Brad Pitt, Shia Labeouf, Logan Lerman and Michael Pena. Sony acquired the bulk of worldwide rights in the run-up to Cannes.
QED International CEO Bill Block is producing Fury with John Lesher’s Le Grisbi Productions and Ethan Smith. Principal photography is set to begin in September and Sony will release in the US on Nov 14, 2014.
“Huayi Brothers has been a leader in international co-productions for the Chinese market for years,” Huayi Brothers president Wang Zhonglei. “We’re excited that Fury will be the starting point for a strategic partnership with QED and look forward to cooperating on a series of international movie projects in the future.”
“We’re committed to providing filmmakers with a first-class distribution partner in every market, and Huayi Brothers is the perfect company to lead the charge for Fury in China,” said Block [pictured]. “We’re also excited to explore other co-production and distribution opportunities with Huayi Brothers as we look to further establish ourselves in the dynamic Chinese market.”
QED evp of international sales John Friedberg and Noel Lohr negotiated the Fury deal with Leslie Chen on behalf of Huayi Brothers Media Company.
QED’s Cannes slate includes Ayer’s Sabotage (formerly Ten) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington and Mireille Enos, as well as John Turturro’s rom-com Fading Gigolo and horror title Haunt starring Jacki Weaver.
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