KC GLOBAL EMBARKS ON scriptED SERIES ‘ JONESY’
KC Global Media, which operates a string of channels across Asia including AXN, anime channel Animax, South Korea’s ONE and Japanese entertainment channel GEM, has unveiled its first script development of a sci-fi live action series, “Jonesy.” The show is a sci-fi fantasy thriller action-comedy series set in the year 2029, with eight episodes of 15-20 minutes each. Production will be with Singapore-based production agency, Monochromatic Pictures, while development is supported through the Capability Partnership Programme (CPP) operated by the country’s Infocomm Media Development Authority. The show sees an internet crazy shut-in man driven to extremes by violent weather systems which carry with them supernatural beasts intent on devouring humankind. With his imaginary friend, the man learns to navigate the new world alone, confront his fears, battle colorful foes, and become humanity’s new hope when he kills one of the monsters during a livestream.
EARLY MORNING KARMIC REVENGE
Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), another pan-Asian channels operator, announced its second original production “3AM” for its Thrill channel. The show was produced in collaboration with Adrian Teh of Act 2 Pictures in Malaysia who acts as executive producer. Directed by three of Malaysia’s up-and-coming directors – Heng Aik Siong, Ang Yee Sien and Yong Choon Lin – the series consists of stories, with common themes of vengefulness and karmic retribution happening at 3am; a woman avenging her spouse’s cheating; a newcomer at work who offends the ghosts in his office; a girl who kills innocents for her revenge plan; a group of friends with complicated relationships on a camping trip; and a man who judges others by his own standards.The series features prominent stars from Malaysia, including Coby Chong, Fabian Loo and Ruby Yap.
MEANINGFUL IMPACT
Leading film industry names including include Shaun Grant (“Nitram,” “The Snowtown Murders”), Kai Yu Wu (“The Flash,” “Paper Girls”), Sarah Lambert (“Lambs of God,” “Love Child”), Stuart Beattie (“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “I Frankenstein”), Hunter Covington (“Community,” “Black AF”) and Stacy Traub (“Black-Ish,” “Glee”) take on roles as mentors to nine aspiring screenwriters at accelerator program Impact Australia. The eight-week event launched in Melbourne Tuesday and runs for eight-weeks, culminating in the Pitch Day in January 2023. It is backed by Impact and Gentle Giant Media Group, and backed by Screen Australia, the University of Melbourne, VicScreen, Screen NSW, Screen Queensland and Screen Canberra. The nine selected are: “Other People,” by Jordan Prosser; “After Her,” by Sunanda Sachatrakul; “Don’t You Remember,” by Dannika Horvat; “Norfolk,” by Elias Jamieson Brown; “The Mandala,” by Joel Perlgut and Victoria Zerbst; “The Almost Insufferable Burden of Being a Talented Woman,” by Siobhan Domingo; “Roxbury Manor,” by Paul Clarke; and “Poly” by Naomi Telushkin.
LIMITED SERIES
Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law is getting the small screen treatment after Double Nickel Entertainment snapped up the scripted and documentary rights to her biography, “Jo van Gogh-Bonger. The Woman Who Made Vincent Famous” by Hans Luijten.
They now plan to adapt her story for a limited series in conjunction with the Van Gogh museum.
Jo was married to Van Gogh’s brother Theo. When he died young, she soon realized her survival – and that of her young child – lay in her brother-in-law Vincent’s paintings. Although they were scorned at the time, through sheer force of will Jo changed their public perception and changed her family’s fortunes.
Michael Taylor is set to co-executive produce while Russell Shorto is co-producer.
FESTIVAL
To mark the 80th birthday of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur‘s Film Heritage Foundation has set a film festival titled Bachchan Back To The Beginning in partnership with PVR Cinemas. The festival will take place Oct. 8-22 at 17 cities and 22 cinemas across India. Films programmed include all time classics “Don,” “Kaala Patthar,” “Kaalia,” “Kabhie Kabhie,” “Amar Akbar Anthony,” “Namak Halaal,” “Abhimaan,” “Deewar,” “Mili,” “Satte Pe Satta” and “Chupke Chupke.”
Bachchan said: “I didn’t think that I would see a day that all these films from my early career would be back on the big screen across the country. It is a remarkable initiative of Film Heritage Foundation and PVR to showcase not just my work, but the work of my directors, fellow actors and technicians of the time who made these films possible. It brings back an era that is gone, but not forgotten. This is why saving India’s film heritage is so important. I hope that this is just the beginning of many festivals that will celebrate landmark films of Indian cinema back on the big screen.”
