LOS ANGELES, June 3, 2008 - Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures, producer of Marvel Studios' (NYSE: MVL) Summer release The Incredible Hulk and Platinum Studios, Inc. (OTCBB: PDOS), an entertainment company that controls an international library of more than 5,600 comic book characters which it adapts, produces and licenses for all forms of media, today announced a deal to co-develop and produce a feature film based on the soon-to-be-published action thriller comic book Final Orbit. The graphic novel is slated for release by Platinum Studios Comics in early 2009.
Final Orbit tells the story of some lottery winners who are vacationing on the International Space Station but when it is damaged, the vacation becomes a nightmare, trapping the tourists alone in a crippled module with no astronauts to help them.
Hurd and Platinum Studios' Chairman and CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg are set to produce. Former Universal Pictures' senior executive, Randy Greenberg, of The Greenberg Group, will executive produce. Gary Ventimiglia, President of Production at Valhalla Motion Pictures will co-produce.
"Final Orbit has all of the classic cat-and-mouse, edge-of-your-seat elements to be a fantastic white-knuckle thriller," said Hurd, Chairman of Valhalla Motion Pictures. "Being able to develop the motion picture alongside the comic book allows for the cross pollination of creative ideas that benefit both avenues."
"I believe that Gale has the unique sensibility to pull out the core essence of these comic characters and events to make an extremely satisfying and entertaining motion picture," said Platinum Studios' Rosenberg.
Gale Anne Hurd and Valhalla Motion Pictures most recently produced the highly anticipated The Incredible Hulk for Marvel Studios (NYSE: MVL) which is being released by Universal Pictures (NYSE: GE) on June 13. Valhalla is continually developing a broad range of projects and recently wrapped Marvel's Punisher: War Zone for Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Sony Pictures Entertainment (NYSE: SNE). Hurd has produced more than two dozen feature films that have generated billions of dollars of revenue. Her other credits include The Terminator, Aliens, Armageddon, Aeon Flux, The Punisher, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines among others.
Platinum Studios' film and TV division has other properties in development at major film studios, including Unique at Walt Disney Pictures (NYSE: DIS) with "Harry Potter" producer David Heyman, Atlantis Rising at DreamWorks with Kurtzman/Orci ("Transformers") and Cowboys and Aliens, written by "Iron Man" screenwriters Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, also at Dreamworks in association with Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.. Platinum Studios' also recently announced its partnering with Hyde Park Entertainment to co-produce Dead of Night, based on the beloved Italian comic book series, Dylan Dog and a partnership with Top Cow Productions and Arclight Films to co-produce Witchblade, based on the best-selling independent comic book title.
