Cineflix Rights Acquires Skybound’s Heart Attack

Cineflix Rights has picked up the new Fuji TV series Heart Attack, produced by Skybound Entertainment (The Walking Dead, Invisible).

The dystopian drama, billed as “live-action anime,” follows a segment of the population known as Variants, who have gained supernatural abilities and are being persecuted by the government. When two Variants make an unexpected connection that unlocks a secret power, they begin the fight for their existence and freedom, eventually leading to a revolution.

Heart Attack is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Mortal Kombat 2’s Shawn Kittelsen and Eric Zawadzki. It is directed by Takeshi Maruyama (Spaghetti Code Love). Executive producers are Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Rick Jacobs and Glenn Geller for Skybound and h Koji Ishi and Takeshi Shimokawa for Fuji TV.

The series stars Kanichiro (Kubi, Last Ninja–Blue Shadow), Toko Miura (Drive My Car, Weathering with You) and Goro Kishtani (Returner, Graveyard of Honor), among others.

“By turning anime into live-action drama, Heart Attack will appeal not just to the millions of superfans of an incredibly popular TV genre but also wider audiences who love sci-fi thrillers,” said James Durie, head of scripted at Cineflix Rights. “With the added pedigree of Skybound, the creatives behind the huge global hit that is The Walking Dead, we are expecting a lot of interest from global buyers as we gear up to launching it at MIPCOM.”

“The Cineflix Rights team has an outstanding reputation for placing top-tier dramas with broadcasters and streaming platforms around the globe,” commented Rick Jacobs, managing partner of linear content at Skybound Entertainment. “We’ve had great partnerships with Cineflix Rights in the past and we are excited to continue our collaborations with them as we launch Heart Attack.”

Koji Ishii, senior executive director at Fuji TV, added, “As part of Fuji TV’s global business strategy, we are very pleased to be able to co-produce Heart Attack with Skybound with an eye on the global market. With Cineflix Rights distributing the series, I hope that people around the world will enjoy this powerful story that will captivate sci-fi fans with its theme of young men and women, love and oppression.”