Storm Lion and Production I.G Unveil “Titan Rain” - A New International Animated Feature Film Project
SINGAPORE - November 20, 2009 - Singapore's Storm Lion Pte Ltd and Japan's leading animation studio Production I.G, Inc. announced at the Animation Asia Conference today a collaboration between the two companies in the creation, development and production of a full 3D CG animated feature film.
Titan Rain marks the first ever collaboration between Storm Lion and Production I.G. It utilizes a unique 3D CGI technique and a cutting-edge anime creativity to appeal to the worldwide audience. “I can think of no better partners than Production I.G in such a groundbreaking project that will surpass both technical and creative standards in CG Anime feature production,” says Storm Lion's CEO, Edmund Shern. Shern's own sci-fi racing creation, Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland is currently being developed as a major live-action Hollywood feature film with New Regency and producer Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns) at the helm, with script by Mike Finch (who recently scripted Robert Rodriguez's Predators).
Shern's sentiments are echoed by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, President of Production I.G, Inc. Ishikawa says, “We believe that Storm Lion will bring a more international flavor to this collaboration and help give this anime a unique quality which will appeal to new audiences worldwide.”
According to Maki Terashima-Furuta, VP of Production I.G USA, Production I.G and Storm Lion have been looking for a suitable project to collaborate on for some time - TITAN RAIN has provided this ideal opportunity.
Work on the animated feature has already begun and the project is slated for a major theatrical release all over the world. Directing the animated feature is Atsushi Takeuchi.
Takeuchi has designed mechas and vehicles for most of Production I.G's big titles including Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell, Ghost In the Shell: Innocence, JIN-ROH; and The Sky Crawlers, Production IG's most recent animated award-winning feature. He is also the first Japanese creator to ever direct an episode of the animated television series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” where he also designed all of the characters and mechas. Takeuchi adds, “in order to survive in today's complexed society, the human race needs to be strong. Facing the harsh reality of life is one of the main themes of this project and I'm truly excited to be able to present this in the form of an anime to the world.”
The story for TITAN RAIN is written by Tow Ubukata and Edmund Shern. Ubukata is one of the most promising novelists in Japan, Tow Ubukata, who's written best seller titles such as “Le Chevalier d'Eon,” “Heroic Age;” says, “I hope to bring something unique to the table for the new generation of anime fans while drawing influences from past Science Fiction shows.”
TITAN RAIN is Shern's second foray in collaborating with a Japanese creator. Shern previously wrote the international edition of Yoshitaka Amano's (Final Fantasy) Mateki: The Magic Flute for Radical Books. The project also marks Storm Lion's second venture into the world of Anime. Previously Storm Lion had announced being involved in the production of Madhouse Japan's upcoming Yona Yona Penguin.
TITAN RAIN will also feature characters and concepts will be designed by Takashi Okazaki, the world-famous creator of “Afro Samurai.”
Bear McCreary, one of Hollywood's most exciting up and coming composers and the man responsible for the soundtracks to Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, will be scoring the soundtrack to the animation. His work on the television series Battlestar Galactica has been described as offering “some of the most innovative music on TV today,” by Variety. Bear says, “Science fiction and fantasy anime films were a part of my first inspiration to become a composer, so this opportunity to collaborate with the creative and talented artists at Storm Lion and Production I.G. in this genre is a dream come true. The musical score to Titan Rain will be as original, dynamic and powerful as the story and visuals.”
Bear also scores the series, Trauma, Eureka and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and will be scoring the upcoming Capcom video game Dark Void.
TITAN RAIN begins pre-production in 2010 and will debut in early 2012 internationally.
About Storm Lion
Storm Lion is founded by Edmund Shern as an integrated entertainment company with a dual core business as a publishing company for generating new intellectual properties that can be published, marketed and developed for graphic novels, video games, animated features, television and feature film, and a media company dedicated to developing film and television projects in Hollywood and Asia. Storm Lion is also publishing an imprint via Radical Publishing.
In March 2009, Storm Lion announced that "Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland”, a Singaporean-created comic book title written by Shern had been acquired by New Regency for development into a major live-action feature film that will be distributed by Fox.
“Freedom Formula” and “Animal Squares” are projects under the Storm Lion portfolio that aptly reflect the range of titles - from a graphic novel turned Hollywood movie, to an animated line of animal characters in co-production with Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil. Shern has also provided key creative direction for projects as such the adaptation of Final Fantasy artists' Yoshitaka Amano's “Mateki: The Magic Flute” of which he was also the writer.
Storm Lion has collaborated with japanese studio Madhouse Ltd on the CG animated feature “Yona Yona Penguin” and is also working with Production I.G. on a new project set for international theatrical release. Other projects in the works include collaborations with Samuel L Jackson, Oscar Nominee Virginia Madsen and famed Japanese director, Kazuaki Kiriya (who recently directed “Casshern” and “Goemon”). Storm Lion is currently developing several projects including an original story created by Shern titled “Ghost Moon” which is an action horror-mystery set in both Los Angeles and Singapore.
Shern also serves as Chief Operating Officer for Storm Lion's sister company - LA based, Radical Publishing. Radical is working with the A-list of the publishing world including Warren Ellis and Jim Steranko, to name a a few; as well as the top directors in the business who are adapting their entertainment properties as published works, including Joe Kosinksi (director of Tron: Legacy), Antoine Fuqua (director of Training Day), and Darren Bousman (director of the SAW franchise).
Radical and Storm Lion are represented by Alexis Garcia of WME2 and managed by David Schiff of The Schiff Co.
About Production I.G, Inc.
Started as the joint collaboration of visionary production manager Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and popular character designer Takayuki Goto, the company was established on December 15, 1987 as I.G Tatsunoko, a name bearing the initials of its founders as well as the renowned studio they were from. The new company met with success and in 1993 its founders renamed it Production I.G. Since then, the studio has enjoyed yearly growth in sales and size.
Production I.G has produced a number of acclaimed feature films, OVA (original video animation), TV shows, and videogames. For their storytelling and quality of animation, Ghost in the Shell (1995, directed by Mamoru Oshii, No. 1 in US Billboard Top Video Sales Chart 1996), Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999, directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, Jury's Special Prize at Fantasporto 1999), and Blood: The Last Vampire (2000, directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo), have earned critical accolades in Japan and all around the world. Innocence, directed by Mamoru Oshii in 2004, has been the first Japanese animation feature ever to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes.
Production I.G visionary world is said to have deeply influenced many famous Hollywood creators, and this has eventually brought to the collaboration with Quentin Tarantino for the animation sequence in his world hit, Kill Bill: Vol. 1. Finding early international success in animating with such titles as Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell, Production I.G quickly decided to broaden exposure to international markets, and in March 1997 launched a Los Angeles-based overseas subsidiary. One of the greatest achievements of this active international policy is the TV series IGPX (2005, directed by Mitsuru Hongo), co-developed and co-produced with Cartoon Network, the first collaboration between a US cable network and a Japanese production house.
Already amongst the new wave of Japanese animation, which is now an established market steadily gaining fame with western audiences, Production I.G aspires to continue driving this growth and to bring high-quality animations to the world.
