EXCLUSIVE: Studiocanal has been rolling out gross sales at the first instalment of Germany-language movie trilogy Woodwalkers in Cannes.
A joint manufacturing between Blue Optical Fantasy and Studiocanal Germany, it’s one probably the most motivated German-language productions to pace for each companions.
The franchise is customized from the best-selling novels by means of German scribbler Katja Brandis a few workforce of youngsters with undercover shapeshifting talents, referred to as ‘Woodwalkers’.
Blue Optical Fantasy MD and founder Corinna Mehner is govern generating, with Berlin-based Studiocanal exec Sandrine Mattes, EVP German Manufacturing & Acquisition, spearheading her corporate’s involvement.
Mattes says the Woodwalkers ticks a variety of farmlands for Studiocanal.
“Studiocanal’s DNA is truly European so we’re always looking for European content that can work on the global market. The ‘Woodwalkers’ books are a perfect fit. They’re one of the biggest IPs we have for family and kids in the German market, both in terms of book sales and fanbase,” she says.
“They’re also published in a number of countries and other territories are coming. We really feel we can achieve a local hit and build an international brand strategy around these films.”
Newcomer Emile Cherif performs 13-year-old protagonist Carag, who is in a position to shape-shift right into a puma and has just lately arrived at a undercover college for Woodwalkers, backed by means of a rich benefactor.
Carag briefly settles in and befriends Brandon (a bison-shifter) and Holly (a crimson squirrel-shifter) and for the primary while in his time feels a way of belonging.
When a mining operation threatens to break the Woodwalkers shape, on the identical while as a order of unrevealed assaults on people, Carag and his buddies put their powers to usefulness.
Budgeted at round €15M ($16.3M) in line with instalment, Woodwalkers marks a step-change for Munich-based Blue Optical Fantasy, which prior to now loved good fortune with people leisure hits similar to Lily The Witch: The Go To Mandolan and the Aid, I Gotten smaller My Professor franchise.
“I don’t think any other project was shot in German over the past year with as high a budget,” says Mehner.
The manufacturer, who introduced Blue Optical Fantasy in 2003, says Woodwalkers marks a herbal development for the corporate.
“We’re known for making European-financed, family entertainment movies and our speciality is live action movies with a lot of VFX and/or animation,” says the manufacturer, who believes this technology helped her reserve the rights within the face of fierce festival.
Scribbler Brandis used to be a nature journalist previous to specializing in fantasy and took inspiration from actual animals for her characters. The bulky problem, says Mehner, used to be staying true to this visual.
“The idea came from real animals, so we work with real animals as much as we can. It’s a complex production, mixing digital animals with footage of real animals… we shot nearly 40 days with the actors, and 24 days, only with the animals,” says Mehner, revealing that 25 several types of wild animal seem within the movie.
Global VFX corporate Pixomondo, which introduced in Germany at round the similar while as Blue Optical Fantasy and has collaborated on maximum of its options, is taking the VFX govern, with Space of the Dragon VFX superviser Sven Martin overseeing the paintings.
Mattes, who additionally had her optic at the ‘Woodwalkers; novels, onboard the undertaking upcoming a face-to-face assembly with Mehner upcoming the endmost had tie the rights.
“We had looked at the book series but it seemed very complicated to pull… I’m so happy that this brand is in Corinna’s hands. I think she is the only one who could pull it off in Germany,” she says.
“We’ve worked on it together since the first teaser trailer, making the creative decisions together around how to transform this magical world of shapeshifters into film.”
Cherif is joined within the forged by means of established names Oliver Masucci (Incredible Beasts, Black, Enfant Extreme), Martina Gedeck (Most commonly Martha, The Lives Of Others) and Hannah Herzsprung (Babylon Berlin) in addition to rising actress Lilli Falk (The Zone of Hobby) and a number of younger learners.
Along operating with established casting businesses, the manufacturing additionally held an obvious on-line casting name for more youthful individuals of the solid, which generated 20,000 movies and programs from children throughout Germany.
“Some of the cast members are talents that we found in this casting. They haven’t done anything before but are natural talents,” says Mattes.
The companions admit there used to be debate on whether or not to walk the German-language or English-language course.
“We could have done an international production but it would have meant other actors and a much bigger budget… but we felt it’s a German IP and decided it would make more sense to move quickly and bring it first to German speaking audiences,” says Mattes.
Studiocanal will theatrically let go the primary movie within the trilogy in Germany on November 24. Pre-production is already underway for the second one instalment, which can start filming on the finish of July.
“We have started work on the second one before the release of the first because we really believe in the huge potential of this franchise,” says Mattes.
