FU MANCHU LEADS DISTANT HORIZON’S
25th ANNIVERSARY SLATE IN CANNES

On the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, President of Distant Horizon, Anant Singh announced slate of forthcoming projects. The slate includes the return to the big screen of a popular 1960s screen character and exciting remakes of properties from Japan.

The revival of the world’s first and most notorious super-villain, Fu Manchu in a new film heads the list of exciting new projects. Fu Manchu has been mostly a forgotten figure, except for the Peter Sellers’ starrer, “The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu” in 1980, and a brief appearance by Nicholas Cage essaying the role in Rob Zombie’s faux-trailer “Werewolf Women of the S.S.” in “Grindhouse.”

Originally created by British author Sax Rohmer as a criminal mastermind antagonist for a series of short stories he published in the “The Storyteller” magazine in 1912 and 1913, Fu Manchu gradually rose to star role status, resulting in a string of novels that focused on the villainous genius and his plans for world domination which was a unique concept in its time. Today, the Fu Manchu character is credited as the harbinger of numerous stereotypical “evil masterminds” such as James Bond’s nemesis Dr. No and Marvel’s Mandarin from the Iron Man comic book series. The film will be produced by Distant Horizon’s Anant Singh and Brian Cox along with Harry Alan Towers and Maria Rohm who were key figures in the popular 1960s series of Fu Manchu feature films starring Christopher Lee – “The Face of Fu Manhcu” (1965), “The Brides of Fu Manchu” (1966), “The Vengeance of Fu Manchu” (1967), “The Blood of Fu Manchu” (1968), and “The Castle of Fu Manchu” (1969). Distant Horizon is currently in discussion with potential writers and directors.

Singh said that the project will address the xenophobia of the original material head-on with the possible collaboration with Chinese filmmakers in a bold effort to turn Sax Rohmer’s underlying sentiments on its head. “We will re-invent Fu Manchu as an anti-hero who fits in with a more socially conscious world and that addresses the very complex multi-polar world we all live in today. We have already begun to discuss Fu’s rebirth with a number of exciting talents in Hong Kong and mainland China. If you look at the enduring popularity of films like “The Mummy,” or even “Wolfman” or “Dracula,” It is clear that the old film serial villains still offer an enormous entertainment value that works across a broad, worldwide audience, so reinvention and modern updates always make sense. We can’t wait to re-introduce this character to worldwide movie audiences. Fu Manchu is an icon and a part of cinema’s aristocracy as demonstrated by Quentin Tarantino’s use of the character in “Grindhouse”,” continued Singh.

In pre-production is the remake of Hideo Nakata’s “Don’t Look Up” with Hong Kong filmmaker Fruit Chan (director of the internationally acclaimed horror film “Dumplings”) at the helm. “Don’t Look Up” is set in the vast and decrepit film stages of a rundown studio and charts the unraveling sanity of a director and his crew when the spirit of a murdered actress from another era comes to possess a random piece of celluloid that is left behind. The film will begin shooting in the autumn of this year in Romania. Casting is currently underway and the film will b produced in association with Action 5.

Rob Cohen of “XXX” and “Fast And Furious” fame will partner Distant Horizon as producer along with Singh and Cox on “Kite”, the live action adaptation of the hit Japanese anime feature created by Yasuomi Umetsu. The film follows a young woman who, after the murder of her parents, is taken off the streets by a crooked, Svengali-like detective who manipulates homeless children to do his dirty work. It’s “Blade Runner” meets “Fight Club” and we are very excited to bring it to the big screen in live action form. The award-winning commercial directing team of the brothers Javier and Jorge Aguilera of Mexico City will direct a screenplay by Joshua Rubin.

In addition, a remake based on the popular Japanese manga series, “The Neighbor Number 13”, is also in development with Chris and Eddie Borey (“Open Grave”) writing the screenplay. This is a psychological revenge story is about a boy who, after being bullied as a child, and being reminded of it ten years later, develops a brutal alter ego.

“We are thrilled to be announcing this exciting slate of projects during Distant Horizon’s twenty-fifth year in Cannes,” said Anant Singh. “These are exciting times for us as we have a slate that goes across the genres of horror and action. These projects have wide appeal and will certainly thrill audiences,” added Singh.

Distant Horizon is known for its involvement in remake concepts. Singh and Cox were producers for Dimension Films’ production of “Pulse”, a remake of the Kiyoshi Kurosawa Japanese horror film, which was released in the summer of 2006. A sequel to “Pulse” is currently in development.