Weinsteins, Exodus Get Navy Seals
Studios' First CGI Movie Collaboration will be Aquatic Comedy
The Weinstein Company and Exodus Film Group have decided on Navy Seals, an aquatic comedy, as their first family-oriented CGI animated movie.
The Weinstein Company and Exodus Film Group have announced that their first animated CGI film collaboration will be Navy Seals, an original story developed in-house at Exodus. This will be the first film under TWC and Exodus' joint collaboration, which was announced at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
The Weinsteins and Exodus originally hooked up last year, when The Weinstein Company decided to distribute Exodus' upcoming CGI horror comedy Igor, starring the voices of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Coolidge and John Cleese. That movie will hit theatres on October 24, 2008.
Under the new agreement, TWC and Exodus will develop, produce and finance several CG-animated feature films, DVDs, and television series. TWC will be the exclusive distributor for all flicks developed during this agreement.
Navy Seals is a family-oriented adventure comedy about an elite pod of U.S. Navy dolphins who are captured, and must rely on a gang of misfit seals to rescue them, and save the day.
"Our goal has been to develop ideas in-house that are original and dynamic and will resonate with audiences of all ages," said Exodus CEO John D. Eraklis. "Navy Seals is a hilarious adventure comedy inspired by the very real heroics that marine mammals have played in the defense of our country."
"Navy Seals is the perfect way to jump start our strategic partnership with Exodus and build off of our exciting collaboration on Igor," said Harvey Weinstein. "We look forward to working with John Eraklis and his talented team on what promises to be an engaging and clever adventure for both adults and children of all ages."
John Eraklis will produce the flick, along with Exodus President Max Howard, who will be the executive producer. Newbie scribbler Justin Eick will write the script. Eric Robinson, a The Weinstein Company Production Executive, is overseeing the project on behalf of the Weinsteins.
There is as yet no word on when Navy Seals will hit theatres, or DVD shelves.
Fun Fact: The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP) is a highly-controversial black budget operation which trains marine mammals - mainly bottle-nosed dolphins and California sea lions - in various aquatic activities including ship and harbour protection, equipment recovery, and mine detection and clearance.
The program was first considered in 1960, when the U.S. Navy acquired a Pacific white-sided dolphin for hydrodynamic studies (to make torpedoes more efficient). While working with a dolphin named Tuffy for the Sealab II project, the Navy realized that dolphins were highly intelligent and trainable. In 1967, the NMMP was classified and became a major black budget program.
There have been many concerns about the NMMP, mainly to do with the highly-secretive nature of the training and technology involved, but also worries about animal welfare.
