COS COB, Conn., March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Halcyon Studios, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) company recently formed to create high-end premium scripted television content, is revealing its 2022 slate. This year, the company plans to produce five compelling drama series and/or TV films with international appeal that encompass great storytelling with top creative talent.
“We’ve built an impressive line-up of original and adapted content with both U.S. and international appeal. Our strong 2022 slate will position us for success as we look to produce, distribute, and finance high-end projects that tap into some of today’s most talented creatives,” said David Ellender, chief executive officer of Halcyon Studios.
“To amplify our brand in this marketplace, we’re reaching back into our extraordinary library, and forward to talent who we admire to celebrate character journeys that embrace Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s mission to change the world one story at a time,” added Matt Loze, president of scripted entertainment of Halcyon Studios.
In addition to Halcyon’s existing premium shows such as Amazon Prime’s “Hunters” and “Mysterious Benedict Society” with Fox and Disney+, the company will produce the following projects:
Dinotopia
Based on the series of illustrated fantasy books by James Gurney - A Land Apart From Time, The World Beneath, First Flight and Journey to Chandara - that also spawned a movie and series for ABC/Disney in the 1990s, this latest adaptation has attracted renowned family entertainment producer Jordan Kerner (Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Mighty Ducks, George of the Jungle, Smurfs, Charlotte’s Web) to redevelop this property with Halcyon Studios.
Under the Wave at Waimea
Acclaimed surf noir novelist and creator of John from Cincinnati, Kem Nunn will adapt Paul Theroux’s redemption journey, Under the Wave at Waimea, with long-time partner Steven Hawk, former editor of Surf Magazine. The project is in collaboration with Stone Village Pictures (Las Vegas, Station Eleven, Lincoln Lawyer)
Death Line
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of his feature debut, horror master Gary Sherman (Raw Meat, Vice Squad, Poltergeist 3, Missing Persons) has teamed with filmmaker, author, musician, and comedian Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen, Ghost Stories) to create a franchise that honors the original movie and establishes a “missing persons” franchise that makes the subway and streets of London uncomfortably scary all over again.
The Untitled James Ellroy Project
From the empresario of LA noir James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential) comes an original limited series that takes place in Beverly Hills. A jewel heist turned robbery homicide engulfs the Beverly Hills Police Department in a media circus with celebrity murder and drama that pulls at the fabric of one of the most exclusive cities in the world. From Showrunner Ed Decter (Shadowhunters, Something About Mary), Stewart Till (House of Sand and Fog, Taboo, The Shannara Chronicles) and Richard Potter (Scream, The Prophecy, Mimic).
The Old Man and the Sea
Halcyon recently partnered with Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain’s Fabula to develop Ernest Hemingway’s classic The Old Man and The Sea for a new generation. The studio is working closely with the Hemingway Estate for the adaptation.
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) (the “Company”) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The Company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported and subscription-based VOD networks including Crackle, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The Company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media subsidiary and produces original video content through the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance. Such assumptions involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to our core strategy, operating income and margin, seasonality, liquidity, including cash flows from operations, available funds, and access to financing sources, free cash flows, revenues, net income, profitability, stock price volatility, future regulatory changes, price changes, the ability of the Company’s content offerings to achieve market acceptance, the Company’s success in retaining or recruiting officers, key employees, or directors, the ability to protect intellectual property, the ability to complete strategic acquisitions, the ability to manage growth and integrate acquired operations, the ability to pay dividends, regulatory or operational risks, and general market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s services. For a more complete description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2021, and for further information regarding our recent acquisition of the Sonar library and related assets, please see our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as amended, filed with the SEC on May 27, 2021 and July 1, 2021. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.
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