3rd “Paddington” film planned as Studiocanal picks up brandJune 21, 2016 - 16:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Studiocanal, a unit of French media giant Vivendi, has acquired all rights, with the exception of publishing rights, to the Paddington Bear brand worldwide, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Studiocanal on Monday, June 20 unveiled the acquisition of Paddington and Company, the group that holds the Paddington rights, as well as The Copyrights Group, a merchandising group that has licensing rights to the Paddington brand. Studiocanal also bought Harvey Unna and Stephen Durbridge Ltd., which has represented all of the media rights in Paddington for the last 40 years. Author Michael Bond, who created the Paddington character in 1958, will retain publishing rights to the brand and will continue to work closely with Studiocanal. Financial details weren't disclosed. The move marks Studiocanal's first acquisition of major entertainment IP. It fits nicely into the company's strategy of focusing on big European-based franchises. The first Paddington movie has been Studiocanal's biggest-ever release, grossing $290 million on a budget of around $55 million. Director Paul King and Harry Potter producer David Heyman are re-teaming for a Paddington sequel, set to begin shooting in October for a late 2017 release. Studiocanal chairman-CEO Didier Lupfer said the company is also committed to a third Paddington film. The Paddington deal opens up a wide range of opportunities for Studiocanal, allowing the company to use the Paddington characters for TV series, theme parks and live entertainment, as well as tapping into the lucrative market in Paddington merchandise. Paddington-themed video games are another potential new revenue stream. Studiocanal parent company Vivendi recently won majority backing to acquire French mobile phone game company Gameloft, a deal that would give the company a means to roll out Paddington titles across multiple platforms. Vivendi also owns a more than 20 percent stake in European gaming giant Ubisoft. Lupfer knows his way around a game console, having helped Ubisoft's move into film production, with the big-screen adaptation of Assassin's Creed. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Your home is in Armenia – Ameriabank offers mortgage loans for the Diaspora To buy real estate, Diasporans can apply to Ameriabank online to buy, renovate or build a home anywhere in Armenia. Armenia-Qatar ties discussed in Doha The Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council met with the Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council of Qatar. Surveying works underway in Armenia’s Kirants Surveying works are underway in the Armenian village of Kirants in the northern Tavush province. Armenia calls for prohibiting threats of attacks on nuclear facilities Armenia has raised the need for a treaty prohibiting attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes. |