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Company Press Release
SOURCE: Imax Corporation
White Cap Productions and Imax Corporation to Produce Large-Format 3D Adaptation of Stephen King's Best Selling Novella. Lawrence D. Cohen to Script, Michael Gore to Score.
TORONTO, April 20 -- Imax Corporation and White Cap Productions, have entered into an agreement to develop a giant-screen 3D version of Stephen King's best-selling novella The Sun Dog for distribution to the rapidly expanding worldwide network of IMAX 3D® theatres. King is one of the world's most widely read storytellers. Imax co-CEO Bradley J. Wechsler and White Cap principals Lawrence D. Cohen and Michael Gore made the announcement here today. Production is expected to begin in early 2000.
First published in 1990 as one of four novellas in King's best seller Four Past Midnight, The Sun Dog is the story of a teenage boy who receives an instant camera for his birthday and discovers that the photos it takes are not what he sees through the lens but instead captures things in another dimension -- the fierce and mysterious world of the Sun Dog of the title. Cohen, who is writing the screenplay, will executive produce with Gore, who will be scoring the film. The Sun Dog is the fourth Stephen King piece that Cohen has adapted for the screen, the first of which was Brian De Palma's Carrie.
"This amazing story, with its glimpses of a bizarre and fantastic other world is the perfect vehicle for Imax's giant-screen 3D format," said Wechsler. "We are very pleased to have The Sun Dog on our production slate and are delighted to be working with Larry, Michael and Stephen on this exciting project. We also believe The Sun Dog will have special appeal to millions of Stephen King fans and will also introduce many new movie-goers to Imax's 3D world of experiential large-format cinema."
"It's one of Stephen's truly memorable tales," Cohen added. "Using the IMAX experience to tell it will give audiences an edge-of-the-seat journey with a power and impact that are inconceivable in any other medium."
Gore notes: "We brought this project to Imax because it seemed like such a natural for them -- a terrific story which actually features 2D and 3D elements as organic parts of its plot. When Stephen turned out to be a huge fan of Imax's large-format movies, we realised that it could be a win-win for everybody concerned."
In addition to Carrie, Lawrence D. Cohen also adapted King's It and The Tommy Knockers, which were two of ABC's highest-rated miniseries. Other films include Ghost Story based on the best seller by Peter Straub. His background as critic and essayist for a number of leading periodicals was followed by work in the Broadway theatre as assistant to famed director-choreographer Michael Bennett. Current projects include the teleplay for a new three-hour version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic South Pacific for ABC.
Award-winning composer-lyricist Michael Gore won two Oscars® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the motion picture Fame as well as receiving a third nomination for the song Out Here On My Own from the same film. His score for James L. Brooks' Terms of Endearment also received an Academy Award® nomination. He has written scores and hit songs for numerous motion pictures as well as themes for many television series. He composed the music for Whitney Houston's All the Man That I Need, which simultaneously reached #1 on the pop, adult contemporary and rhythm and blues charts. His all-star CD release of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I spent over a year on the charts, was nominated for a Grammy, and won the Billboard Award for Top Classical Crossover Album. His current projects include scoring the upcoming Superstar starring Molly Shannon for Paramount. He will also produce a CD version of ABC's South Pacific.
White Cap Productions, Cohen and Gore's company, count among its projects in development a number of features, telefilms and pilots for dramatic series. Their new three-hour version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic South Pacific starring Glenn Close will air on ABC next year.
The deals for Cohen, Gore and White Cap with Imax were brokered by Carol Yumkas at the William Morris Agency and David Feldman at Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Deimer and Klein. New York attorney Jay Kramer negotiated the rights deal for King along with Rand Holston at CAA.
Founded in 1967, Imax Corporation has consistently delivered the world's premiere cinematic experiences. As of December 31, 1998, there were more than 180 permanent IMAX theatres in 25 countries, with a backlog of more than 75 theatre systems scheduled to open in 15 new countries during the next few years. Over 500 million people have seen an IMAX presentation since the medium premiered in 1970. In 1999, more than 70 million people worldwide are expected to attend an IMAX theatre. Imax has forged strategic alliances and relationships with some of the most prominent corporations in the world including The Walt Disney Company, Famous Players Inc. (a subsidiary of Viacom Inc.) and Sony Corporation. In 1997, Imax was awarded an Oscar® for Scientific and Technical Achievement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
SOURCE: Imax Corporation |
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