American Film Market Dailies

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Los Angeles and Tokyo – October 24, 2016 –  EuropaCorp is partnering with the global entertainment studio All Nippon Entertainment Works (ANEW), Japanese partner Nippon Television (Nippon TV) and Chris and Paul Weitz’s production company Depth of Field, to develop, finance and produce the English-language remake of the Japanese thriller, Shield of Straw, it was announced today by EuropaCorp President Lisa Ellzey and ANEW’s CEO Sandy Climan and Senior Vice President of Development and Production, Annmarie Bailey.

The producer of the original work, Nippon TV’s Naoaki Kitazima will produce the film with Depth of Field’s Chris Weitz, Andrew Miano and Dan Balgoyen alongside Climan and EuropaCorp.

Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt (Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen) are writing the script.  

“We are thrilled at the prospect of bringing the remake of the Japanese thriller Shield of Straw to American audiences and the world-wide market,” said EuropaCorp President Lisa Ellzey. “This film is right on brand for EuropaCorp, and we look forward to working with the filmmakers on this project.”

Shield of Straw reinforces ANEW’s mandate to build a cultural bridge between the leading creative companies in Japan and prominent Hollywood filmmakers, while in the process bringing fresh and compelling Japanese IP to audiences internationally.

The original Japanese-titled film, 藁の楯 WARA NO TATE, tells the compelling story of a team of five police officers charged with protecting an accused killer who has been marked for death by the billionaire grandfather of his latest victim.  Directed by Takashi Miike, the film was a finalist in the competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and was a huge theatrical success that year in Japan. A translated version of the original novel, Shield of Straw was released by Vertical Publishing on January 16, 2016.

“I’m thrilled to learn that the Hollywood film production based on my debut novel “Wara no Tate” is proceeding smoothly,” said the author of the original novel, Kazuhiro Kiuchi. “With EuropaCorp’s involvement in the project, it’s exciting to consider the prospects of the film being set in the U.S. where we’ll see the characters speeding via train through cities across the country. As a fan of the original film, I look forward to seeing this new version.”

Current ANEW projects include: Tiger & Bunny being adapted by writer Ellen Shanman and produced with Imagine Entertainment; 6000, produced in association with producer Mike Medavoy; Soul Reviver, produced in association with Fields Corp. and filmmaker partners Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz of Bedford Falls Prods.; and a live action remake of TOEI Animation’s robot anime Gaiking, with producer Gale Ann Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment, Inc.

About All Nippon Entertainment Works, Inc. (ANEW)

With offices in Tokyo and Hollywood, All Nippon Entertainment Works (ANEW) is a global entertainment studio that links world class filmmakers, the Hollywood creative community and studios with a consortium of major Japanese intellectual property rights holders to develop creative content, including films, books, toys, animation, and Manga, into global English-language motion pictures and television. ANEW is funded by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), a public-private investment fund affiliated with the Japanese government. http://www.an-ew.com/en/

About EuropaCorp

EuropaCorp is a global film and television studio founded by visionary director, screenwriter and producer Luc Besson (The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, Léon: The Professional,  The Fifth Element, The Lady and Lucy). EuropaCorp has produced the phenomenally successful Taken and The Transporter franchises and the global blockbuster Lucy, among other successful films worldwide. Luc Besson is currently in post-production on the sci-fi epic Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, and Oscar®-nominated John Madden’s Miss Sloane, starring Jessica Chastain, which will be released on December 9.

About Nippon Television Network Corporation

Nippon Television Network Corporation is Japan's top-rated broadcaster, finishing No. 1 in the All Day, Prime Time, and Golden Time categories in 2014. Since becoming Japan's first commercial broadcaster in August 1953, Nippon TV has gained a reputation as the country's finest producer and broadcaster of all genres of programs, from news, documentaries, sports, dramas, entertainment shows to animation. One of the biggest successes for Nippon TV is its format “Dragons' Den,” which has been sold in 27 countries. Nippon TV’s holdings include companies that deal with movies, animation, events, TV shopping, and merchandising. http://www.ntv.co.jp/english/

About Depth of Field

Depth of Field was founded in 1999 by brothers Chris and Paul Weitz and Andrew Miano following the Weitz brothers’ breakout directorial debut of American Pie.  The two teamed with producer Andrew Miano to create their own shingle and over the next decade, along with development executive, Dan Balgoyen, have taken on various roles producing, directing and writing to expand the diversity of feature films and television on their slate.  Depth of Field credits include About A Boy, In Good Company, The Golden Compass, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, A Single Man, A Better Life, Grandma and Mozart in the Jungle. Depth of Field recently wrapped production on A Happening of Monumental Proportions, the directorial debut of Judy Greer written by Gary Lundy, and Columbus, written and directed by :kogonada. Depth of Field currently has a first look deal with Amazon Studios.