Le Vision Pictures USA Partners with Director Rob Minkoff for Two-Picture Deal

 LE VISION PICTURES USA PARTNERS WITH DIRECTOR ROB MINKOFF FOR TWO-PICTURE DEAL

 

“Silkworms” and “Wolf Totem” Confirmed as Titles

 

Los Angeles, CA – November 9, 2015 – Los Angeles-based Le Vision Pictures USA have partnered on a two-picture deal with acclaimed director Rob Minkoff (“The Lion King”, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman”) and producing partner Pietro Ventani under their Flying Tigers Entertainment banner, to co-develop and produce the live-action comedy, “Silkworms” and the epic animated feature "Wolf Totem".

 

The deal is another step towards Le Vision’s mission to become the world’s first “connected studio” by establishing long-term partnerships between China and Hollywood, working with leading filmmaking talents on both sides of the globe to develop and produce wide-release, tent-pole films with international appeal and franchise potential.

 

Le Vision’s Chairman and CEO Zhang Zhao said: “’Silkworms’ and ‘Wolf Totem’ are perfect examples of the ambitious, cross-over projects we look for. As one of Hollywood’s most established and constantly creative talents, Rob is exactly who we look for in a long-term partner, and someone whose passion for each project matches our own.”

 

The action-comedy “Silkworms” tells the story of two bumbling monks sent to ancient China by the Holy Roman Emperor, Justinian, to steal the closely guarded secret of Chinese silk production.

Based on Lü Jiamin’s bestselling novel, “Wolf Totem” will be an epic animated feature portraying the life and death struggle on the great Mongolian plains.

 

Minkoff said regarding the two projects, “’Silkworms’ is based on true events, and is actually the first case of industrial espionage in history." He added, “The success of the recent live-action adaptation of ‘Wolf Totem’ has inspired us to take a different approach and tell the story from the Wolves' point of view. It's what animation does best."

 

Minkoff’s producing partner Pietro Ventani said "Le Vision under Zhang Zhao's truly visionary leadership has demonstrated they are at the forefront of a paradigm shift in the entertainment industry,"

Rob Minkoff is the award-winning director behind such family favorites as “Stuart Little”, “The Forbidden Kingdom” and last year’s “Mr. Peabody & Sherman”, having made his mark with the global phenomenon “The Lion King”. Minkoff ‘s current project “Blazing Samurai”, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Michael Cera and Mel Brooks, is currently in production and slate to be released in August 2017.

 

The deal was negotiated by Steve Saltzman of Loeb & Loeb and Le Vision Pictures USA EVP Simon Sun, as well as Cheryl Snow of Gang, Tyre Ramer & Brown and Adam Kanter of Paradigm. The LeVP USA development team includes Jason Steyaert and Dan Scheinkman, who together with Simon Sun will oversee development.

 

As previously announced, Le Vision Pictures USA recently acquired the rights to Jayson Rothwell’s script “Zodiac: The Year of the Snake” with prolific producer Bernie Goldmann attached.

 

Le Vision Pictures USA is the Los Angeles arm of China’s Le Vision Pictures, which is the third largest non-government owned film studio in China by total box office. The studio produced the country’s all-time highest grossing film franchise, “Tiny Times” and co-financed and distributed “The Expendables 2 and 3” in China. They are currently in production on the highest-budget U.S.-China co-production to date, Zhang Yimou’s “The Great Wall” starring Matt Damon with Legendary East and Universal Pictures.

 

Le Vision Pictures (LeVP) is owned by Letv, the world’s first technology company to have its video streaming business publicly listed.

 

Follow Le Vision Pictures USA on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and developments.

 

About Letv

Letv is a leading global technology company that converges culture, content, innovation, lifestyle and entertainment around the world in a way no other company to date has been able to do. Letv opens new opportunities for consumers and the technology and entertainment industries with an integrated ecosystem that includes smartphones, TVs, film and entertainment and soon, electric cars. Letv offers a jaw-dropping array of products and experiences that fit perfectly into a broad spectrum of lifestyles—along with exciting content that keeps the innovations fresh, relevant and always compelling. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn more.

 

About Flying Tigers Entertainment

 

Flying Tigers Entertainment is the Multi-Platform Film and Animation production company founded by Rob Minkoff and Pietro Ventani. After working for Walt Disney Feature Animation for twelve years culminating in the release of the internationally acclaimed animated blockbuster, The Lion King, Rob left Disney to direct Stuart Little which pioneered the combination of Live Action and CGI character animation. His most recent release, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, is based on characters created by Jay Ward. Pietro Ventani spent more than fifteen years in Media/Entertainment holding a variety of senior management positions for Disney and Sony Pictures in both the Theatrical and Television divisions. His expertise encompasses Marketing and Distribution as well as Finance and Business Development. Flying Tigers Entertainment is currently developing a slate of Animation and Live Action projects for theatrical, television and online distribution.