Tag: Neal H. Moritz

Columbia Pictures Sees Red With Valiant’s BLOODSHOT

Columbia Pictures is closing a deal to acquire the rights to adapt Bloodshot, the bestselling Valiant comic book character, into a feature film to be produced by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film banner and Jason Kothari and Dinesh Shamdasani on behalf of Valiant Entertainment, it was announced today by Hannah Minghella, president of production for Columbia Pictures. Jeff Wadlow will write the screenplay.

Bloodshot first appeared in Valiant comic books in 1992 and quickly became one of the comic world’s most popular characters. Appearing in over 70 issues, the character sold seven million comic books globally and was a cornerstone of the Valiant Universe, which sold more than 80 million comic books, third only to Marvel and DC. As Valiant re-launches in 2012, the Bloodshot character will return to shelves as well.

Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, “The Bloodshot character has been a fan favorite for nearly two decades, selling approximately 7 million comic books globally. Because there have been more than 1,500 pages of storylines published, there is a rich legacy to draw from as we develop the screenplay. Neal is one of the best action producers working today and we know he is the right filmmaker to take on this potential franchise.”

Originally founded in 1989, Valiant Comics quickly became one of the most successful comic book publishers by creating unique and compelling heroes and villains and focusing on storytelling. Valiant characters have been written and illustrated by many of the industry’s most famous creative talents, including Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Barry Windsor Smith, Joe Quesada, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, Steve Ditko, Mike Mignola, Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin and Neal Adams, among many others; in addition, Valiant was previously named Publisher of the Year by Diamond Comics Distributors. Valiant is returning to comic books in May 2012 and has a number of movie projects in development based on its characters involving some of the industry’s top business and creative talent.

Neal Moritz and Original Film are currently in post-production on four films: 21 Jump Street and Total Recall for Columbia Pictures, R.I.P.D. for Universal, and Warner Bros.’ Jack the Giant Killer. He is entering pre-production on the sixth entry in the Fast and Furious franchise as well as on Dead Man Down, starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace. With over 40 films to Moritz’s credit, past titles include Battle: Los Angeles, The Green Hornet, The Fast and Furious series, I Am Legend, XXX, S.W.A.T., Gridiron Gang, Sweet Home Alabama, Click, Vantage Point, Blue Streak, Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Skulls, Volcano, Urban Legend, and Juice. Original Film’s box office is north of 2 billion worldwide.

Columbia Pictures Options Remake Rights To Japanese Film BIG MAN JAPAN

CULVER CITY, Calif. (June 2011) – Columbia Pictures has optioned remake and sequel rights to Big Man Japan, which will be developed and produced into a new feature film by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film banner, it was announced by Hannah Minghella, president of production for Columbia Pictures. Big Man Japan was a breakthrough hit in Japan in 2007 and a cult hit in the United States in 2009. Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi will write the new adaptation.

Set in a world where monsters wreak havoc, there’s one man who can protect the citizenry: Big Man Japan, who runs the Department of Monster Prevention. Using electricity, he can grow to be 10 stories tall and fight off the most menacing of monsters. The problem is that he’s not very good at his job and often causes as much damage as he prevents. The people believe he’s a joke – and not nearly as good at the job as his father and grandfather were before he took over the family business.

The option for all non Japanese language rights to the film were secured through Yoshimoto Kogyo Co, Ltd, and their affiliate Yoshimoto Creative Agency, Ltd, producers of the original film that was directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Toby Jaffe will oversee development for Original.

NEAL H. MORITZ is the founder of Original Film. His most recent releases include Fast Five, which has taken in more than $540 million worldwide to date, making it the most successful film in the franchise, and Battle: Los Angeles, which has grossed more than $200 million worldwide so far. His next film is Universal Pictures’ comedy The Change Up. He is currently in production on 21 Jump Street and Total Recall, and he is in pre-production on Warner Bros.’ Jack the Giant Killer. His past titles include The Green Hornet, The Fast and Furious series, I Am Legend, XXX, S.W.A.T., Made of Honor, Gridiron Gang, Bounty Hunter, Evan Almighty, Sweet Home Alabama, Click, Vantage Point, Out of Time, Blue Streak, Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Skulls, Volcano, Urban Legend, and Juice.

PHIL HAY & MATT MANFREDI most recently wrote the screenplay for the box office hit Clash of the Titans; they previously wrote the screenplay for the 2005 sci-fi thriller Aeon Flux. The writing partners made their screenwriting debut in 2001 with the critically acclaimed drama Crazy/Beautiful. Manfredi also wrote and co-directed with Hay the independent feature Bug, starring John Carroll Lynch, which garnered multiple film festival awards in 2002. Upcoming projects for Hay and Manfredi include the comic book adaptations R.I.P.D. and The Boys, both for producer Neal H. Moritz.

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