Spotlight: Newly-established China-Hollywood studio has global ambitions

Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-20 16:31:08|Editor: Xiang Bo
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by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- As China's burgeoning film industry takes its place on the world stage, Maverix Pictures, a newly-established China-Hollywood studio, is uniquely positioned to make high-profile commercial movies that will appeal to audiences all over the world, the head of the studio told Xinhua in an interview in Beverly Hills, California.

British-born Ian Jessel, former president of Spelling Films, Miramax International, and Legend 3D, has been appointed president and CEO of the newly-formed Maverix Pictures. He co-founded the company with Austrian-born, China-based billionaire Michael Lechner von Leheneck.

"It's an honor for me to be asked to helm this exciting new international venture," Jessel told Xinhua.

"It will enable us to bring the best of Western and Chinese cinema to the world."

Maverix Pictures is an affiliate of Maverix Group Holding, a successful real estate and theme park company with a registered capital of over 250 million U.S. dollars.

Its mandate is to finance and produce major international motion pictures, combining the movie mights of both China and Hollywood, with its first global release expected in 2021.

"We intend to build a bridge between the film industries in China and the United States," von Leheneck told Xinhua.

Explaining further, von Leheneck said that a number of the company's projects will incorporate Chinese stories and themes, while many will be shot on location on the Chinese mainland.

Under Jessel's guidance, the company will initially focus on developing quality, commercially-viable scripts capable of attracting bankable talent. Jessel will work closely with top talent agencies in both China and Hollywood to package the company's first 5-picture slate, which will benefit from the inclusion of high-profile stars and major directors.

Focused on business in China, Maverix's parent company has a thriving theme park business there, which, in conjunction with China Railway Construction Corp., the world's second-largest engineering and construction company, has three large-scale entertainment parks currently in development. One theme park is due to start construction in Shanghai in 2020.

The film and theme park companies will jointly develop branded IPs to be cross-marketed across both the motion picture and theme park businesses and platforms, while also creating branded merchandise for the global market.

"We believe there can be a strong link between films, with their famous IPs, and our theme parks, especially for major Chinese stories, which will receive international distribution and worldwide exposure," von Leheneck said.

Seasoned producer and distributor Jessel, a member of both the American and British Film Academies, has been a mover and shaker in the motion picture industry for decades now. He previously served as the founding president of both Miramax International and Spelling Films, leading them during their most successful years.

Jessel was responsible for the movie giants' international activities, supervising the worldwide distribution of iconic films that helped shape the Hollywood and international motion picture industries. Works released under Jessel's tenure include the stunningly original "Pulp Fiction," which catapulted Quentin Tarantino to international acclaim, Rob Reiner's rom-com hit "When Harry Met Sally," and Robert Altman's tongue-in-cheek Hollywood insider pic "The Player."

The exceptional quality of the pictures Jessel has been closely associated with throughout his distinguished career has led to the awarding of four Palme d'Or's at the acclaimed Cannes Film Festival and 16 Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Taking advantage of China's rich cultural history and catalog of classic tales, one of the initial projects in Maverix's line-up is a modernized version of one of China's most popular legends, "The Eight Immortals." The story focuses on eight legendary Chinese heroes who possess special powers to bestow life and destroy evil.

A second project, "French Concession," based on the popular novel of the same name published by Harper Collins, is a fast-paced espionage thriller centered around a desperate cat-and-mouse game of international intrigue, set in the colorful world of 1930s Shanghai.

Meanwhile, a third project under consideration is an epic action fantasy about China's legendary Terracotta Warriors, slated to be produced by the successful team behind the hit franchise "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Given the tales' DNA, an A-list Chinese cast will be attached to all projects.

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