Imagi, Warner Bros., Weinsteins Align for New Film Releases

HONG KONG, September 28: Warner Bros. Pictures, The
Weinstein Company and Imagi Animation Studios have formed an alliance for the
worldwide distribution of the feature films Gatchaman and AstroBoy.

The new pact builds on the success of TMNT, Imagi's first theatrical motion picture, also
distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company. TMNT opened in
March 2007 at the top of the U.S. box office.

Gatchaman, scheduled
for release in early 2009, originated in Japan in the early 1970s as a
television series, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. The series aired in the U.S. as Battle of
the Planets and G-Force. Set in a future world, which is grappling with environmental
and technological issues, the film centers around five reluctant heroes whose
genetic codes make them Earth’s only hope. Kevin Munroe (TMNT) will serve as director, with Lynne Southerland as
producer.

Slated for a later release in 2009, AstroBoy was created by the dubbed “god of manga,” Japan’s
Osamu Tezuka, in the early 1950s. The animated TV series first aired in Japan
in 1963, and became one of the top syndicated children’s shows in the U.S. It
tells the story of a powerful robot created by a brilliant scientist in the
image of the son he lost. He journeys to find acceptance in the human world,
discovering a true friendship and saving Metro City from destruction. Colin
Brady (Toy Story 2, Everyone’s Hero)
directs, and Maryann Garger is the producer.