Podcast EP 246: How Indie Game Developers Will and James Made ‘Thank Goodness You're Here!’
The U.K.-based pair discuss quitting their jobs to jump into full-time game dev, pitching and funding their project, and the unexpected challenges encountered in developing their games.
Watch: ‘Empire of the Ants’ Trailer with Cutting-Edge Photoreal Visuals Using UE5
Ahead of its GDC showcase next week, Microids and Tower Five have dropped a gameplay trailer for their upcoming photorealistic real-time strategy game that immerses players in a magnificently microscopic forest ecosystem as an ant sworn to protect the colony at all costs.
Guru Studio Options ‘Spot’ TV Rights
The studio’s animated series adaptation of author Eric Hill’s bestselling children’s book series will follow Spot, the beloved, rambunctious, and curious puppy; former Amazon Kids+ exec Sarah Maizes comes on board to helm the project.
Multihouse Creative and Demente Animation Form Strategic Partnership
New deal expands Multihouse’s live-action production offerings, adding animation integration across its various sectors, including Multihouse Impact and Creative Agency divisions.
Crunchyroll Reveals April 2024 Anime Lineup
The leading anime destination shares next month’s absolutely massive slate, kicking off April 1 with ‘Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf’ and ‘Gods' Games We Play;’ new episodes also announced for ‘One Piece’ and ‘TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy.’
GKIDS Sets ‘The End of Evangelion’ North American Theatrical Release
The follow-up to Hideaki Anno’s acclaimed animated series ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion,’ the film provides an alternative conclusion to the series; coming to cinemas March 17 and 20 - tickets are now on sale.
Sony Future Filmmaker Awards Adds Animation Category
A jury of industry experts will select winners in 6 categories from over 8,400 film submissions received from more than 5,000 filmmakers across 148 countries and territories; awards to be presented May 30.
LFA's 2024 Parcours de Femmes Selections Revealed
The French association Les Femmes s’Animent’s Franco-African Initiative assists French-speaking women from Africa, Europe, and overseas territories with mentoring and resources to fine-tune project pitches for presentation at the 2024 Annecy Festival’s MIFA.
Lionsgate Drops ‘The Crow’ Official Trailer
Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr, and this gritty, grisly supernatural thriller is not for the squeamish; in theaters June 7.
Movella and HTC VIVE Reveal Native Virtual Production Pipeline Integration
Integration of VIVE Mars CamTrack and Xsens Animate motion-capture technology promises to elevate virtual production by converging precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for a seamless, collaborative workflow and production experience; see it at GDC beginning March 18.
New Line’s ‘Salem’s Lot’ Remake Will Debut on Max
Warner Bros.’ forthcoming feature adaptation of the Stephen King vampire novel, first pushed from a Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 release before being shelved by the SAG-AFTRA strike, will bypass cinemas and stream later this year.
New Adult Swim SMALLS Shorts to Release Each Friday Through 2024
A new animated short will debut each week, beginning with Sanjay Jit’s ‘Gum Remembers’ – watch it here!
‘The Batman Part II’ Release Pushed to 2026
And the wait goes on! Previously slated to swoop into theaters on October 3, 2025, the film will now premiere October 2, 2026; it stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight alongside familiar franchise faces Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred.
Podcast EP 245: Exit 73 Studios Indie Game Dev Journey With '#Blud'
Animation studio co-founders Chris Burns and Bob Fox discuss breaking into the game industry, getting a producer, and the upcoming release of their indie game, coming later this year.
‘X-Men ’97’ Creator Beau DeMayo Fired Ahead of Series Debut
The writer / producer, known for his work on ‘Moon Knight’ and ‘Blade,’ will no longer promote the project or participate on future seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter; Marvel had no comment on the firing.
Max Nabs 2024 Oscar Winner ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Streaming Rights
Streamer and GKDS ink multiyear deal extending U.S. streaming rights of award-winning Studio Ghibli’s catalog, including Oscar-winning and -nominated films ‘Spirited Away,’ ‘Howl's Moving Castle,’ ‘The Wind Rises,’ ‘The Tale of The Princess Kaguya,’ and ‘When Marnie Was There.’
Cinesite Chills Out with ‘True Detective: Night Country’ VFX
Check out the breakdown reel - as main visual effects vendor, the studio enhanced the series’ haunting atmosphere, mysterious disappearances and weird phenomena, adding to its chilling backdrop both literally and figuratively.
'Shrek 2’ to Re-Release in Theaters for 20th Anniversary
Revisit the adventures and experience the joy of Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona's adventures all over again when the beloved 2004 3DCG animated classic returns nationwide starting April 12.
Scholastic Buys 9 Story Media Group
The USD $186 million agreement significantly expands the publishing company’s opportunities for production and global licensing of its IP across print, screens, and merchandising.
Taiwan Creative Content Agency Showcases 15 Animation, VR Projects at SXSW
Among these productions, ‘Madame Pirate: Code of Conduct’ was selected for the 2024 SXSW XR Competition, while ‘Sister Lin-Tou’ was part of the XR Spotlight section; SXSW runs in Austin, Texas from March 8-16.
Toonz Media Group and Driver Studios Team for ‘The Blahs’ 3D Animated Series
The kids’ comedy series, which follows original characters ‘The Blahs,’ their rulers King Gray and Lord Blue, and their neighbor Joy, launches on the Cool School YouTube channel March 31.
NVIDIA and HP Announce GenAI and Data Science Library Integration
Coming to Z by HP AI Studio, NVIDIA CUDA-X data processing libraries will be integrated with HP AI workstation solutions to provide full-stack development solutions that speed data science workflows.
What’s Cooking U.K.? Biscuit and Grey London Team for PETA Pork Campaign
The promo project includes the hard-hitting film ‘Pig Farm,’ which highlights British pig farming practices and calls for the public to go vegan; gory merchandise such as a calendar measured in pig years will also be available for purchase.
UNESCO to Support WIA’s Stories x Women Program
The first official collaboration between the two groups was announced in connection with International Women’s Day; the UN organization joins Disney as a supporter of the women’s creative initiative with an emphasis on projects from Africa.
Illumination and Nintendo to Produce New ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie
Chris Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto take to YouTube to share the news - while plot details are still firmly under wraps, the new animated film project doesn’t appear to be a sequel but rather a fresh take on Mario’s world; the release is set for April 3, 2026.
