Studiocanal, Europe’s largest independent film studio, hit Vegas today with director Danny Boyle and the opening scene of his new film Ink, the story of British tabloid The Sun. It teased a next Paddington film and announced a reboot of John Carpenter’s iconic Escape from New York and a reimagining of 1981 horror classic The Howling.
In an extended scene of Ink, Guy Pearce’s Rupert Murdoch and Larry Lamb, played by Jack O’Connell, whom the young media baron hired to run The Sun when he purchased it in 1969, are exploring the five “W’s” of journalism — who, where, when, what and why. The film is based on the play by James Graham, who wrote the screenplay, and production is underway.
Anna Marsh, CEO of StudioCanal (and chief content officer of parent Canal+) confirmed that a fourth Paddington film is in development, with writers attached to the next edition of the highest-grossing independent family franchise ever — at more than $700 million in box office worldwide. The most recent, 2024’s Paddington in Peru, was released Stateside through Sony Pictures. StudioCanal is behind a number of English-language films but doesn’t release them in the U.S. itself but rather through parents.
RELATED: Breaking Baz: ‘Paddington: The Musical’ Eyes 2027 Broadway Transfer After Olivier Awards Triumph, Reveals Producer Sonia Friedman
EVP Global Marketing and Distribution Studiocanal Hugh Spearing introduced a exclusive peeks of Aardman’s upcoming Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.
He said StudioCanal’s genre label Sixth Dimension is boarding The Mannequin, starring Melissa Leo, which starts production this summer from director Sean Byrne. And it’s in development on a feature adaptation of Matt Haig’s worldwide bestseller The Midnight Library in partnership with Blueprint Pictures.
According to Marsh, the company is behind more than 200 films a year and a big chunk of the global box office. Thus its appearance at a new CinemaCon event on the main stage as organizer Cinema United looks to bring in a few voices beyond core Hollywood studios. Angel Studios and Sony Pictures Classics also presented at the inaugural Film Showcase.
RELATED: Angel Studios Sets Release Dates For ‘Bonhoeffer’, ‘Homestead’ & New Animated Musical ‘David’ – CinemaCon