Miramax is expanding its role on the new project, co-producing with the LEGO Company as well as acting as worldwide distributor. Miramax's Charles Layton, executive vice president, office of the co-chairmen, and Eric Roth, senior vice president of business and legal affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of the film company. The LEGO Company was represented by Conny Kalcher and Stig Blicher, both vice presidents of global innovation and marketing. Create TV and Film was represented by its managing director and global controller, Vanessa Chapman. Create TV and Film is a new company formed from the TV and film division of LEGO Media International. Create TV and Film is a co-producer on both movies.
This new home video movie is the second of three partnerships between the three companies this year. In addition to the two exclusive-to-video projects, the companies are currently developing a "Bionicle" theatrical motion picture scheduled for release in 2005.
"Miramax began as our distribution partner on 'Mask of Light' in July of 2002," says Kalcher. "But, when we started to develop the theatrical film, the creative sparks began to fly, and we knew we had found our kindred spirits on this property. They really get it. Harvey Weinstein and his talented team, especially Kevin Kasha and Jeff Tahler, are really just big Bionicle boys at heart, and they are eager to increase their involvement on the second movie."
"'Bionicle's' rich storylines and complex characters really capture its audience's attention," said Weinstein. "As millions of fans around the world will attest, once you're immersed 'Bionicle,' there's no turning back."
Bionicle, the confluence of "biological" and "chronicle," is a rich and complex universe of mystery and mythology developed by a team of talented LEGO designers and storytellers, inspired by the folklore of many exotic cultures. Set in the time before time, the film will take viewers to a new location for an epic action-adventure story featuring a vast array of biomechanical characters - focusing on the now legendary heroes called the Toa in their ongoing struggle against the shadowy force of The Makuta.
The Bionicle characters and story were launched in December 2000, first on an interactive website and in comic books and shortly thereafter in dozens of different - yet interconnecting - media platforms. Clues, characters and adventures revealed in one platform enhanced the experience on another. By August of 2001, the toy line was outselling every other action figure on the market. In 2002, the product line was recognized with two Toy of the Year awards, including "Most Innovative Toy of the Year" and "Best Boy Toy of the Year" by the American Toy Industry Association.
To complement the "Mask of Light" movie, this year's franchise highlights include a number of platforms and product lines related to the film:
* A new line of Bionicle action figures, many of which are based on the movie characters;
* A new video game from LEGO Virtual and Electronic Arts, which
parallels the movie's plotline;
* The first of six titles from Scholastic Books, including a
novelization of the movie;
* A brand new style of the hot Nike Bionicle shoes released earlier this year, featuring interchangeable masks.
