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Hi all, found the story below on Variety.com. It was dated Aug. 4, 2004.
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Known primarily for the characters that make up its Muppets franchise, the Jim Henson Co. is gearing up to develop darker fantasy and supernatural fare for older auds.
To that end, the company is on a book-buying spree -- using a recently secured round of financing from a group of private investors in England -- and has secured film rights to four novels.
Henson has been working with independent book scout Emily Lansbury to identify and secure titles, including:
"The House of the Scorpion," a futuristic tale in which a boygrows up as the clone of a powerful drug lord and dictator of Opium, a country that lies between the United States and Mexico. As he grows older, the boy breaks free from his nefarious destiny and plans to rule in a more democratic way.
Nancy Farmer penned the young-adult novel, which won last year's National Book Award.
"Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale," a dark tale about a 16-year-old girl who moves to her childhood home in New Jersey with her rock star mother, only to discover that she's a faerie and her life is in danger when she finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms.
Ilene Staple will produce the pic with the Jim Henson Co.
"Tithe" author Holly Black penned fantasy series "The Spiderwick Chronicles," which Paramount-based Nickelodeon Films is developing as a film franchise.
"The Tattooed Map," Barbara Hodgson's supernatural tale about a woman who discovers while on a trip around Morocco that a map-shaped tattoo that only she can see is appearing on her hand. When she disappears, her traveling companion must try to find her and unravel the mystery.
The "Uncle Wiggly" stories, a collection of 36 tales about a wise rabbit and his woodland animal and human friends. In contrast to the other book acquisitions, the company is eyeing this property as a Muppet-friendly project that appeals to families.
Company is looking to attach screenwriters to the newly optioned projects before approaching MGM or other studios.
New direction
The Henson Co.'s latest acquisitions come after several years of corporate turmoil and restructuring that finally is settling.
It recently secured a first-look deal at MGM to produce a slate of live-action films, in addition to its existing deal with the Walt Disney Co. to produce fare that features the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House characters.
As part of the Disney deal, the Mouse House acquired all Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House assets and character rights, film/TV library, worldwide distribution and licensing rights and all associated copyrights and trademarks.
Company also brokered a deal with HIT Entertainment to produce preschool fare and is setting up an inhouse animation unit.
Ramping up its film and television development efforts is key, however.
While the Muppets are still a high priority, company is looking for effects-heavy projects that can be produced as general family entertainment as well as fantasy fare that can draw in older auds, according to Lisa Henson, co-chairman/co-CEO of the Jim Henson Co.
"We do have a direction in what we're looking for," said Henson, whose background includes stints as prexy of Columbia Pictures and as an indie producer. "We want to be optioning more books that have a wide family appeal, but as it so happens, the books we've been optioning are more adult-skewing."
Company hasn't been inactive on the production front.
Last fall, MGM distribbed its talking-dog pic "Good Boy!," which earned $38 million at the domestic .B.O.
It's currently in pre-production on Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" and a television series for preschoolers called "Frances," based on the popular children's picture books. In post are fantasy pics "MirrorMask" and "Five Children and It."
.
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Known primarily for the characters that make up its Muppets franchise, the Jim Henson Co. is gearing up to develop darker fantasy and supernatural fare for older auds.
To that end, the company is on a book-buying spree -- using a recently secured round of financing from a group of private investors in England -- and has secured film rights to four novels.
Henson has been working with independent book scout Emily Lansbury to identify and secure titles, including:
"The House of the Scorpion," a futuristic tale in which a boygrows up as the clone of a powerful drug lord and dictator of Opium, a country that lies between the United States and Mexico. As he grows older, the boy breaks free from his nefarious destiny and plans to rule in a more democratic way.
Nancy Farmer penned the young-adult novel, which won last year's National Book Award.
"Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale," a dark tale about a 16-year-old girl who moves to her childhood home in New Jersey with her rock star mother, only to discover that she's a faerie and her life is in danger when she finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms.
Ilene Staple will produce the pic with the Jim Henson Co.
"Tithe" author Holly Black penned fantasy series "The Spiderwick Chronicles," which Paramount-based Nickelodeon Films is developing as a film franchise.
"The Tattooed Map," Barbara Hodgson's supernatural tale about a woman who discovers while on a trip around Morocco that a map-shaped tattoo that only she can see is appearing on her hand. When she disappears, her traveling companion must try to find her and unravel the mystery.
The "Uncle Wiggly" stories, a collection of 36 tales about a wise rabbit and his woodland animal and human friends. In contrast to the other book acquisitions, the company is eyeing this property as a Muppet-friendly project that appeals to families.
Company is looking to attach screenwriters to the newly optioned projects before approaching MGM or other studios.
New direction
The Henson Co.'s latest acquisitions come after several years of corporate turmoil and restructuring that finally is settling.
It recently secured a first-look deal at MGM to produce a slate of live-action films, in addition to its existing deal with the Walt Disney Co. to produce fare that features the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House characters.
As part of the Disney deal, the Mouse House acquired all Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House assets and character rights, film/TV library, worldwide distribution and licensing rights and all associated copyrights and trademarks.
Company also brokered a deal with HIT Entertainment to produce preschool fare and is setting up an inhouse animation unit.
Ramping up its film and television development efforts is key, however.
While the Muppets are still a high priority, company is looking for effects-heavy projects that can be produced as general family entertainment as well as fantasy fare that can draw in older auds, according to Lisa Henson, co-chairman/co-CEO of the Jim Henson Co.
"We do have a direction in what we're looking for," said Henson, whose background includes stints as prexy of Columbia Pictures and as an indie producer. "We want to be optioning more books that have a wide family appeal, but as it so happens, the books we've been optioning are more adult-skewing."
Company hasn't been inactive on the production front.
Last fall, MGM distribbed its talking-dog pic "Good Boy!," which earned $38 million at the domestic .B.O.
It's currently in pre-production on Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" and a television series for preschoolers called "Frances," based on the popular children's picture books. In post are fantasy pics "MirrorMask" and "Five Children and It."
.
