CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2005--Image Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISK), a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America, and Dark Horse Indie, the new film division of independent film and media company Dark Horse Entertainment, today announced a slate of films currently being co-produced by both companies.
Image and Dark Horse currently have 7 films in various stages of production, and approximately 5 additional projects in development. Films currently underway for either theatrical or home video distribution include:
-- "My Name is Bruce," directed by and starring Bruce Campbell ("Evil Dead," "Army of Darkness"). Campbell plays himself in this comedy/horror that finds him kidnapped from the set of a B horror movie and taken to a small town where he is forced to play the role of his movie character. Principal photography scheduled for January.
-- "Driftwood," a supernatural teen thriller set in a camp for troubled teens haunted by the ghost of a murdered youth. Written and directed by "2001 Maniacs" helmer Tim Sullivan. Starring Diamond Dallas Page, Ricky Ullman (Disney's "Phil of the Future") and Talan Torriero (MTV's "Laguna Beach"). Project expected to be completed by mid-2006.
-- "Splinter," a drama about gang members who are being murdered, and a cop on the skids who teams up with an idealistic young female cop. Directed by Michael Olmos and starring Tom Sizemore and Edward James Olmos. Currently in post-production.
-- "Gone," a haunted house story to be directed by John Landis ("Animal House," "Blues Brothers," "Trading Places"). Principal photography to begin in June 2006.
-- "Dream Corridor," a "Twilight Zone"-style anthology written and hosted by Harlan Ellison. Pre-production is set for early 2006.
-- "Monarch of the Moon," a black-and-white 1940s-style serial comedy played straight. The story centers around America's greatest superhero, the Yellow Jacket, who uses his amazing powers to summon yellowjackets and save the country from evil invaders. Currently in post-production.
-- "Destination Mars," a comedy sci-fi "follow-up" to "Monarch of the Moon." Female invaders from Mars attack the earth. Features flying saucers, evil robots, atomic bombs and mad scientists. This project is a joint acquisition.
"This slate of films is significant as it represents the first time Image Entertainment will have an equity interest in the films it distributes," said Barry Gordon, senior vice president of worldwide programming of Image Entertainment. "We are rapidly moving into the financing and co-producing of films, in addition to acquiring and distributing content. We are now content producers as well as acquirers and distributors."
Image and Dark Horse Entertainment created a new imprint for the venture, Dark Horse Indie, that serves as a cornerstone of Image's new mission to work with strategic allies to develop and produce programming for theatrical and direct-to-video venues in both live action and animated programming, solidifying an equity position in perpetuity.
"Using the combined resources of Dark Horse and Image, we have collectively been able to jumpstart our relationship with an impressive slate of films," said Mike Richardson, president and founder of Dark Horse Entertainment. "Moving forward, we will continue to develop and undertake projects with Image that span genres from horror and science fiction to superhero adventures and anime."
Dark Horse Entertainment has become a driving force in feature film franchises through the use of their properties as demonstrated with the blockbuster film "Hellboy," as well as classic properties such as "The Mask," "Timecop" and "Barb Wire" with Pam Anderson. Dark Horse Comics publishes such diverse comic book properties as Mike Mignolia's "Hellboy," Frank Miller's "Sin City" and Matt Wagner's "Grendel," as well as such licensed titles as "Star Wars," "Conan" and "The Incredibles." The company also publishes the cream of the manga crop, with monster hits such as Kazuo Koike's "Lone Wolf & Cub," Katsuhiro Ottomo's "Akira," Yasyhiro Nightow's "Trigun," Masamune Shirow's "Ghost in the Shell," Hiroaki Samura's "Blade of the Immortal" and Kosuke Fujishima's "Oh My Goddess!" Dark Horse is recognized as the world's leading publisher of both creator-owned and licensed comic material.
About Image Entertainment:
Image Entertainment, Inc. is a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and over 200 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and approximately 300 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights and, through its subsidiary Egami Media, Inc., exclusive video on demand, streaming video and download rights. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California, and has a domestic distribution facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to
www.image-entertainment.com.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements which are based on the Company's current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. In some cases forward-looking statements may be identified by forward-looking words like "would," "intend," "hope," "will," "may," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "continue," or similar words. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from the Company's expectations, forecasts and assumptions. These risks and uncertainties include risks and uncertainties not in the control of the Company, including, without limitation, the current economic climate and other risks and uncertainties, including those enumerated and described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which filings are available on the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
