Videogame adaptation to hit cinemas in 2016.
It has been announced that ‘Despicable Me’ producer John Cohen has signed on as producer of the upcoming ‘Angry Birds’ movie. David Maisel, former Chairman of Marvel Studios and executive producer of ‘Iron Man,’ will be executive producer of the 3D CG-animated feature film, which is scheduled to land in cinemas in summer 2016. The film will be produced and financed by Rovio Entertainment, which is celebrating the third anniversary of the release of ‘Angry Birds.’
“John’s an exceptionally talented producer, and we’re delighted to have him join the flock,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment. “With John’s hands-on producer background and David’s expertise in establishing and running his own successful studio, these two are the dream team for making a movie outside the studio system. Both professionals have the ideal skills and vision to achieve incredible things.”
In addition to producing ‘Despicable Me’ for Universal-based Illumination Entertainment, Cohen executive produced the studio’s ‘Hop.’ Prior to Illumination, Cohen was VP of Production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation. He worked closely with Blue Sky Studios on films including ‘Ice Age,’ ‘Robots,’ ‘Ice Age: The Meltdown’ and ‘Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who.’ He is also credited with the idea to reimagine ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ and developed the 2007 film.
Following Marvel Studios’ example, which was architected by Maisel, Rovio will produce and finance the movie outside the studio system and retain full creative control while creating innovative entertainment at the highest level of quality.
The upcoming movie marks Rovio Entertainment’s first foray into feature films, though fans have already gotten an introduction to the ‘Angry Birds’ world through Rovio’s games, books, consumer products, and animations. Since its debut in 2009, the ‘Angry Birds’ game has been downloaded more than 1 billion times across platforms and versions. The most recent venture, ‘Angry Birds Star Wars,’ soared to the top of the US iPhone charts within 2.5 hours of release.