Tandem Shores Up Japanese Sales

MUNICH, October 22: Germany’s Tandem Communications
continues its expansion into the Japanese market with deals on its mini-series
and movies with Kadokawa Pictures and The Klockworx.

Kadokawa Pictures has picked up the four-hour CBS
mini-series Covert One: The Hades Factor,
starring Stephen Dorff, Mira Sorvino and Anjelica Huston. Kadokawa’s publishing
company holds the rights in Japan for Robert Ludlum’s Covert One book series.

“Kadokawa is the logical choice for this mini-series in
Japan,” said Tim Halkin, the co-managing director of Tandem. “They have
internal synergy possibilities, which will support the event character of the
program. We look forward to an ongoing relationship with this major player.”

Tandem also inked a deal with the Japanese distribution
company The Klockworx for the Starz Fantasy Adventure Collection, which includes four 90-minute event movies. The first title in this collection, Sands
of Oblivion, starring Morena Baccarin, Adam
Baldwin, Victor Webster and Academy-Award winner George Kennedy, will be ready
for delivery in November. The other three films in this series, The
Lost Treasure of Grand Canyon, Merlin’s
Quest and Houdini, will be delivered in the second, third and fourth
quarters of 2008, respectively.

Tandem recently partnered with the Japanese production and
distribution company Amuse Soft Entertainment on both the 22×1-hour action
series Painkiller Jane and the six-hour
Ridley Scott, Tony Scott and John Calley mini-series The Company.

Halkin added: “We’re finding partners in the Japanese market
that understand our international co-production strategy of high-end television
event programming, which confirms to us, that there is a need for quality
programming in Japan and worldwide.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski