Author: Alton Williams

Global Screen has picked up worldwide distribution rights (excluding North America, the UK and GST) to the English-language animated feature THE AMAZING MAURICE which is based on one of Sir Terry Pratchett’s highly popular “Discworld” novels that have sold more than 90 million books worldwide. THE AMAZING MAURICE is inspired by the Grimm’s fairy-tale about the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

The screenplay has been written by Oscar-nominated Terry Rossio, one of the highest-grossing screenwriters of all time and whose extensive credits include “Shrek,” “Aladdin,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Carter Goodrich, who worked on “Ratatouille”, “The Croods”, and “Despicable Me” is on board for the character design.

Further attached is the core team of the worldwide box office hit “Ooops! Noah is gone”. Toby Genkel is Director. Producers are Ulysses Filmproduktion, Emely Christians and Cantilever Media’s Andrew Baker and Robert Chandler, with Executive Producer Roddy MacManus. Tobis Film picked up the distribution rights for GST and is also the German Co-production partner. German Studio Rakete and Canadian Squeeze Animation will be responsible for the 3D animation, with 2D animation sequences by Cantilever Media. The Film is supported by Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, FFA Development and Creative Europe Media.

Global Screen will start preselling this new family animated film at the upcoming AFM with a script and promo in place. The film is planned to be ready for delivery mid of 2022.

Maurice, a streetwise cat, has the perfect money-making scam. He’s found a dumb-looking kid who plays a pipe, and his very own horde of rats – rats who, strangely, are educated and literate, so Maurice can no longer think of them as “lunch”. And everyone knows the stories about rats and pied pipers… However, when Maurice and the rodents reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, their little con goes down the drain. For someone there is playing a different tune. A dark, shadowy tune. Something very, very bad is waiting in the cellars.

Emely Christians states: “THE AMAZING MAURICE will be the first animated feature film ever made from a Terry Pratchett novel. It will get Ulysses’ complete focus and attention to detail in order to fulfil our promise: to make a wonderful movie from this very funny, unique, strong and awesome story.”

“We are delighted to be continuing our close and extraordinarily successful collaboration with Emely Christians and her team and we can’t wait to present the first material from this incredibly lively and entertaining adventure to our buyers at the AFM”, says Alice Buquoy, Senior Sales and Acquisitions Manager at Global Screen. 

Andrew Baker, Producer and CEO of Cantilever Media, said: “Pratchett is a world-class, world-renowned writer and as a lifelong fan it is thrilling to bring to the screen one of his most cherished Discworld novels. The creative talent on the project is indisputable. 

Terry Rossio’s screenplay is unexpected yet heart-warming and Carter Goodrich’s designs are unique. With Global Screen on board we feel we have the perfect partners in place to take this film to a worldwide audience.”

Disney•Pixar’s heartfelt animated sequel Toy Story 4 leaps straight in at Number 1 on this week’s Official Film Chart. 

Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the gang are officially back, and the epic culmination of the much-loved Toy Story saga sees the cast of hilarious characters embark on a road-trip leading Woody to finally discover his true calling. The digital release of Toy Story 4 secures not only the highest new entry, but the most downloaded movie of the week in the UK and the overall top spot in the weekly film rundown, compiled by the Official Charts Company.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters snatches the highest climber accolade, stomping 9 places north thanks to its release on disc – making it the most popular DVD and Blu-ray of the week.

The Secret Life Of Pets 2 (3), Elton John biopic Rocketman (4), and Disney’s live-action Aladdin (5), each slip one position, with a five-place tumble for superhero finale, and last week’s chart topper, X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

Men in Black: International slides down two spots to Number 7, while a similar journey southbound besets John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (8), Avengers – Endgame (9), and Pokemon – Detective Pikachu (10), all down two places this week.

On this week’s Official Film Chart online show, check out a blooper reel from Spiderman: Far From Home, available to Download & Keep from October 25. 

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – 23 October 2019

LW	POS	TITLE
NEW	1	TOY STORY 4
11	2	GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
2	3	THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2
3	4	ROCKETMAN
4	5	ALADDIN
1	6	X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX
5	7	MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL
6	8	JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM
7	9	AVENGERS: ENDGAME
8	10	POKEMON – DETECTIVE PIKACHU

© Official Charts Company 2019. 

VIEW THE FULL TOP 40 – https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/film-chart/ 

STUDIOCANAL is thrilled to announce the release of a newly restored version of the madcap British comedy classic, CLOCKWISE. Featuring a tour-de-force performance from John Cleese (‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, ‘Fawlty Towers’) in full Basil Fawlty mode, audiences will have the opportunity to experience this lesson in the art of comic timing looking better than ever when it is released on November 16 on DVD, Digital Download and, for the very first time, on Blu-Ray.

For the 2019 restoration of CLOCKWISE, STUDIOCANAL returned to the original colour negative. The scanning, restoration and grading of the negative was performed in 4K.

With a razor-sharp screenplay by acclaimed author and playwright Michael Frayn (Noises Off, Copenhagen) and great supporting turns from Alison Steadman (Life is Sweet, Pride and Prejudice), Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Joan Hickson (‘Miss Marple’), CLOCKWISE is the film that inspired Cleese to make A Fish Called Wanda and remains a much treasured British comedy classic to this day.

John Cleese plays a clock watching headmaster obsessed with timekeeping. When he boards the wrong train on his way to headmasters’ conference, however, his obsessive punctuality is put to the test. 

Turning back to find alternative means of transport, he hijacks one of his pupils who is taking the afternoon off school in her father’s car. As the journey descends into further chaos, the head quickly begins to lose his schoolmasterly poise….

BRWC FiLMiX – CLOCKWiSE from BRWC on Vimeo.

DVD / Blu-Ray Extras

• – New Interview with Michael Frayn
• – Clock watching with Mr. Cleese
• – Stills gallery

Thriller Edition: Bits & Pieces.

With her joyously irreverent live-action reinterpretation thriller of the famous 16^th-century puppet show, writer/director Mirrah Foulkes turns the traditional story of Punch and Judy on its head and brings to life a devilishly delightful tale, starring Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak, Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre)and Damon Herriman (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Mindhunter, Top of the Lake).

A psychologically unsettling and atmospheric thriller set in 1989 Tokyo from director Wash Westmoreland (Colette, Still Alice), Earthquake Bird follows Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), an enigmatic expat haunted by a painful past, who enters into an intense relationship with Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi), a handsome local photographer. Lucy’s imperturbable exterior begins to crack when a naive newcomer, Lily Bridges (Riley Keough), becomes entangled in their lives and ends up missing — suspected dead. 

ARROW FILMS is pleased to make available two brand new clips for the release of Billy Senese’s THE DEAD CENTER, the brand-new thriller from the director of the acclaimed A Frankenstein Story. Helmed by genre stalwart Shane Carruth, the creator of Primer and Upstream Color, THE DEAD CENTER is a unique tale of existential terror that explores the demons that live inside of all of us. The film features exceptional supporting performances from Jeremy Childs (Preacher) and Poorna Jagannathan (Big Little Lies). The clips are here and here.

The debut feature, Sons of Denmark, from director Ulaa Salim is a powerful, unnerving and provocative film that looks at the impact of radicalised society, set in an alternate (though all-too-believable) Denmark.

Having been in competition in Sundance (where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award) and Berlin 2019 (nominated for Best Feature Film), its London reception was similarly well-received. As well as stunning performances from the young cast, the film has an amazing score by Mica Levi (Jackie and thriller Under The Skin), habitually praised by audiences and critics alike. MONOS has also been selected as Colombia’s bid for an Oscar in the international feature category, and will also represent the country at the Spanish Goya awards.

Prey is a mysterious and gory chiller from horror powerhouse Blumhouse Productions the team behind Get Out, Us, The Purge, Sinister and Insidious.  Toby (Logan Miller; Love, Simon), a high school senior struggling with behavioural problems, is placed on an uninhabited island in order to improve his ways. However, despite being told he is in isolation, he soon realizes he is not alone, teaming up with Madeleine (Kristine Froseth; Apostle), as they are pursued by a deadly entity. Reminiscent of cult hits Donnie Darko and Lost – is a mind-bending and disturbing new shocker. Prey for your life!

A family is haunted by a group of evil spirits that they accidentally release after finding a mysterious gateway during a hike. they turn to a shaman who must help them save their child and send the entities back to the spirit world forever. John-Michael Fisher, Katherine Forbes and Lauren Harper star in a thriller film written and directed by Billy Chase Goforth.

The sudden and mysterious death of his roommate leads a young skateboarder to investigate the inner workings of the suspicious self-help company where his friend worked. When he takes a job there, he uncovers the company’s scheme to spread a new virus that could devastate the city.

Returning to the abandoned Detroit television station where they once delighted a generation of children viewers, master puppeteer Mister Jolly re-incarnates his minion puppets for a final performance to settle an old score with Richard. The rare blood moon casts an ominous glow as Mr Jolly unleashes his puppets, lead by the infamous Handy Dandy to seek his revenge. Further complicating Richard’s dilemma is the unexpected arrival to the Studio of his son Steffen and his friends. The group become entangled in the thrilling pursuit by Mr Jolly and Handy Dandy through the annuls of the old studio building. They soon realize that they are in a new version of “Mister Jolly and the Handy Dandy Show” -where pain is the game!

MARRIAGE STORY is Academy Award nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach’s incisive and compassionate portrait of a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. The film stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta co-star.

The Curse of Buckout Road follows a college class, whose project on the destruction of modern myth turns deadly when a trio of students discover that a series of horrific urban legends surrounding New York state’s famed Buckout Road may actually be true.

Curated global streaming service and theatrical film distributor MUBI is delighted to announce the UK launch of the exquisitely crafted and moving documentary YVES SAINT LAURENT: THE LAST COLLECTIONS, in cinemas and on MUBI on 30 October 2019.