World Screen

LOS ANGELES: Vivendi Entertainment has acquired from Genius Products the exclusive distribution rights to a collection of brands that includes World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE ), Sesame Street, Classic Media and RHI Entertainment. The distribution rights are for North America, except …

ANAHEIM: The Walt Disney Studios has struck a deal with The Beatles’ Apple Corps to develop a new 3-D adaptation of the 1968 classic animated film Yellow Submarine, to be written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film will be …

CULVER CITY: Sony Pictures Animation has entered into a multi-year, first-look deal with Fred Seibert and his Frederator Studios to develop animated feature films. Seibert, a former president of Hanna-Barbera Productions, founded Frederator in 1998. He has produced 16 series, including …

ATLANTA: Christina Miller has been promoted to senior VP of Turner Sports’ strategy, marketing and promotions and Cartoon Network Enterprises. Miller will continue her oversight of Cartoon Network’s consumer products and home video business in the U.S., which includes global …

PALISADES PARK: Alfred Haber Distribution, Inc. (AHDI) has signed deals on the Ghost Hunters franchise with the U.K.’s Virgin Media and OLN Network in Canada. Virgin went for 77 episodes from three series: Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, and the …

MUNICH: The Tele München Group (TMG) is producing a new screen adaptation of the literary classic Moby Dick, with RTL, ORF and RHI Entertainment as partners on the project. William Hurt takes on the role of the one-legged Captain Ahab. …

TORONTO: Breakthrough Entertainment has secured a licensing agreement for Shadow Island Mysteries with Daro Films in Eastern Europe, English-speaking Africa and Holland. The trilogy of TV movies revolves around Claire La Foret, a beautiful young woman who works as a …

LONDON: Wake Up World, a daily two-hour programming block aimed at 2- to 5-year-olds, launches on Nick Jr on October 5 at 7 a.m. The two-hour slot is a mix of Nick Jr shows and five new interstitials. The interstitials, each running under …

SILVER SPRING: Nicolas Bonard has been named senior VP of Discovery Enterprises International, taking over for Caleb Weinstein, who was recently appointed senior VP and general manager for emerging markets at Discovery Networks EMEA. Bonard is tasked with oversight for …

LONDON: Evergreen Entertainment has taken on the preschool project TipTop from Hungary’s Wyvern Images. The 26×6-minute animated series is narrated in English by a single voice, facilitating the making of foreign-language versions. “When Gabor [Koltai] showed me the animation I …