Ad hoc-Service: splendid medien AG <DE0007279507> Splendid Medien AG/IEG to cooperate with US Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Harrison Ford to play lead role inthe joint film project "Traffic"
Splendid Medien AG, Cologne, and its subsidiary Initial Entertainment Group (IEG), Los Angeles, will work together with Fox Searchlight to produce their latest Hollywood film project "Traffic". "Traffic" will have an absolute star cast, with Harnson Ford taking the leading role, and Catherine Zeta-Jonos is expected to play the leading female.
A figure of between USD 60 and 65 million has been set as the budget for this Hollywood production. Splendid/IEG will contribute between USD 35 and 45 million to this figure. Shooting on the film is to start in April, and Splendid/IEG has secured all world-wide rights for "Traffic" outside North America. Fox will distribute "Traffic" on the US film market.
"With Fox, we have gained a strong co-operation partner for this film project", says Andreas R. Klein, Chairman of the Board of Splendid Medien AG. Graham King, CEO of Initial Entertainment Group, has the following to add: "Harrison Ford is an absolute world star. Only our excellent contacts with Fox which we have built up over many years have enabled us to jointly acquire a project with such a star cast." Negotiations with Catherine Zeta-Zones are in the final stages for the part of the leading lady.
In "Traffic", Harrison Ford plays the part of a judge in the fight against the drug trade in the USA. The film will be directed by Steven Soderbergh, who was recently in the news with the thriller "Out of sight" with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez.
For Splendid. "Traffic" represents a further step along the road towards becoming a global content provider. Within a few months of being floated on the stock market, Splendid/IEG has expanded its holdings of world rights as a result of its involvement in such exciting productions as "Dr T. and the Women" by star director Robert Altmann with Richard Gere and Oscar award winner Helen Hunt in the leading roles, and "Gangs of New York", the largest independent film project in the history of the industry so far, by star director Martin Scorcese featuring the Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio. The recently announced production co-operation with Catherine Zeta-Zones will enable the company in future to acquire further world rights for blockbusters with budgets of between USD 15 and 50 million.
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