by Amos Semien
The American Society of Cinematographers has announced the nominations for the 28th installment of its annual awards honoring outstanding achievement in the field of motion picture cinematography. I have included the press release from the organization.
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is an educational, cultural, and professional organization, but it is not a labor union or a guild. On its website, the organization says that it is “a non-profit association dedicated to advancing the art of filmmaking.” ASC membership is by invitation, based on an individual’s body of work, and invitations are extended only to directors of photography (D.o.P.) and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film industry.
ASC members can put the letters A.S.C. after their names and membership is a mark of prestige and distinction and has become one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a professional cinematographer. The current membership roster comprises 302 cinematographers from about 20 different countries. The ASC also has more than 150 associate members, who work in ancillary sectors of the industry. They are invited to join because of their contributions to the art and craft of motion pictures. ASC also publishes the magazine, American Cinematographer.
Press release:
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced nominations in the theatrical motion picture category of the 28th Annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement. The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony on Saturday, February 1, 2014, at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom.
28th Annual ASC Awards (2014) nominations:
Sean Bobbitt, BSC for 12 Years a Slave
Barry Ackroyd, BSC for Captain Phillips
Philippe Le Sourd for The Grandmaster
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC for Gravity
Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC for Inside Llewyn Davis
Phedon Papamichael, ASC for Nebraska
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for Prisoners
“Our members believe these cinematographers have set the contemporary standard for artful, theatrical motion picture cinematography,” says ASC President Richard Crudo. “They have mastered a complex craft which contributes vitally to the storytelling process, and augments the intentions of everyone involved with the production.”
Traditionally, the organization selects five nominees, but a three-way tie this year boosts that number to seven.
This year’s nomination brings Deakins’ total to 12. He won last year for Skyfall, and previously for The Shawshank Redemption (1995) and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2002). His other nominations were for Fargo (1997), Kundun (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001), No Country for Old Men (2008), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2008), Revolutionary Road (2009), The Reader (2009) and True Grit (2011). He was also the recipient of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Lubezki has won ASC Awards for The Tree of Life (2012) and for Children of Men (2007), and was also nominated in 2000 for Sleepy Hollow.
Delbonnel earned top honors for A Very Long Engagement (2005), as well as a nomination for Amélie (2002).
Ackroyd was previously nominated for The Hurt Locker (2010).
Papamichael earned previous nominations in the television movie and miniseries category for White Dwarf (1996) and Wild Palms (1994), respectively.
This is the first ASC nomination for Bobbitt and Le Sourd.
http://www.theasc.com/
END
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
John Legend to Rock Post-Oscars Party, the Governors Ball
John Legend to Perform at Governors Ball on Oscar® Sunday
BEVERLY HILLS, CA —John Legend, nine-time Grammy® Award-winning singer-songwriter, will take the stage on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Academy’s official post-Oscars celebration, the Governors Ball.
“John Legend is one of the industry’s most innovative and talented artists,” said Jeffrey Kurland, Costume Design Branch governor and chair of the Governors Ball. “We’re thrilled he will be joining us to celebrate this year’s achievements in film, and for what promises to be a most memorable evening.”
Legend’s critically acclaimed 2004 debut album, “Get Lifted,” garnered eight Grammy nominations and earned him a win for best R&B album. That year he also won best new artist of the year and best male R&B vocal performance for the hit single “Ordinary People.” His fourth solo album, “Love in the Future,” is nominated for best R&B album at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Legend’s songs have been included in the soundtracks of such films as “Waiting for Superman,” “Think Like a Man” and “Django Unchained.”
In 2007 Legend launched an education-focused organization, the Show Me Campaign, which works to break the cycle of poverty in both the U.S. and Africa. He also serves on the boards of several other organizations, including Stand for Children, Teach For America, the Harlem Village Academies and PopTech.
Legend will perform for the Ball’s 1,500 guests, which will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers, and other luminaries. The Ball will be held in the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center®.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA —John Legend, nine-time Grammy® Award-winning singer-songwriter, will take the stage on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Academy’s official post-Oscars celebration, the Governors Ball.
“John Legend is one of the industry’s most innovative and talented artists,” said Jeffrey Kurland, Costume Design Branch governor and chair of the Governors Ball. “We’re thrilled he will be joining us to celebrate this year’s achievements in film, and for what promises to be a most memorable evening.”
Legend’s critically acclaimed 2004 debut album, “Get Lifted,” garnered eight Grammy nominations and earned him a win for best R&B album. That year he also won best new artist of the year and best male R&B vocal performance for the hit single “Ordinary People.” His fourth solo album, “Love in the Future,” is nominated for best R&B album at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Legend’s songs have been included in the soundtracks of such films as “Waiting for Superman,” “Think Like a Man” and “Django Unchained.”
In 2007 Legend launched an education-focused organization, the Show Me Campaign, which works to break the cycle of poverty in both the U.S. and Africa. He also serves on the boards of several other organizations, including Stand for Children, Teach For America, the Harlem Village Academies and PopTech.
Legend will perform for the Ball’s 1,500 guests, which will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers, and other luminaries. The Ball will be held in the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center®.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
2014 DGA Award Nominations: Cuaron, Greengrass, McQueen, Russell, Scorsese
by Amos Semien
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the entertainment labor union that represents film and television directors. The DGA gives out the Directors Guild of America Award each year to honor outstanding achievement.
The Directors Guild of America President announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2013 (also known as the 2014 DGA Awards) on Tuesday, January 07, 2014.
Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen and David O. Russell were the expected nominations. From what I’ve read, people who follow film awards did not expect Paul Greengrass and Martin Scorsese to receive nominations, or at least not as much as they expected others such as brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis), Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and Spike Jonze (Her).
Historically the DGA Awards are a good predictor of five directors who will receive Oscar nominations. However, last year, only two of DGA Award nominees received Oscar nominations, and the eventual best director Oscar winner, Ben Affleck, was not one of the two.
In the next week, nominees in the television, commercials, and documentary categories will be announced. The winners, including in the feature film category, will be named at the 66th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
66th Annual DGA Awards Full list of nominations below (with their teams and historical notes from the DGA):
ALFONSO CUARÓN
Gravity
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Mr. Cuarón’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: David Siegel (Arizona Unit)
• First Assistant Directors: Josh Robertson, Stephen Hagen (Arizona Unit)
• Second Assistant Director: Ben Howard
This is Mr. Cuarón’s first DGA Award nomination.
PAUL GREENGRASS
Captain Phillips
(Columbia Pictures)
Mr. Greengrass’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Managers: Todd Lewis, Gregory Goodman
• First Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
• Second Assistant Directors: Nick Shuttleworth, Mark S. Constance
This is Mr. Greengrass’s first DGA Award nomination.
STEVE McQUEEN
12 Years A Slave
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mr. McQueen’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Anthony Katagas
• First Assistant Director: Doug Torres
• Second Assistant Director: James Roque Jr.
• Second Second Assistant Director: Sherman Shelton Jr.
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Nathan Parker
This is Mr. McQueen’s first DGA Award nomination.
DAVID O. RUSSELL
American Hustle
(Columbia Pictures)
Mr. Russell’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Managers: Shea Kammer, Mark Kamine
• First Assistant Director: Michele ‘Shelley’ Ziegler
• Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jason Fesel
• Location Managers: David Velasco, Guy Efrat (New York Unit)
This is Mr. Russell’s second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for The Fighter in 2010.
MARTIN SCORSESE
The Wolf of Wall Street
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Richard Baratta
• First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
• Second Assistant Director: Francisco Oritz
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Scott Koche
• Location Manager: Nils Widboom
This is Mr. Scorsese’s eleventh DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and has also been nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004) and Hugo (2011).
Mr. Scorsese also won the DGA Award in 2010 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire and he was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for George Harrison: Living in the Material World in 2011. In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
http://www.dga.org/
END
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the entertainment labor union that represents film and television directors. The DGA gives out the Directors Guild of America Award each year to honor outstanding achievement.
The Directors Guild of America President announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2013 (also known as the 2014 DGA Awards) on Tuesday, January 07, 2014.
Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen and David O. Russell were the expected nominations. From what I’ve read, people who follow film awards did not expect Paul Greengrass and Martin Scorsese to receive nominations, or at least not as much as they expected others such as brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis), Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and Spike Jonze (Her).
Historically the DGA Awards are a good predictor of five directors who will receive Oscar nominations. However, last year, only two of DGA Award nominees received Oscar nominations, and the eventual best director Oscar winner, Ben Affleck, was not one of the two.
In the next week, nominees in the television, commercials, and documentary categories will be announced. The winners, including in the feature film category, will be named at the 66th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
66th Annual DGA Awards Full list of nominations below (with their teams and historical notes from the DGA):
ALFONSO CUARÓN
Gravity
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Mr. Cuarón’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: David Siegel (Arizona Unit)
• First Assistant Directors: Josh Robertson, Stephen Hagen (Arizona Unit)
• Second Assistant Director: Ben Howard
This is Mr. Cuarón’s first DGA Award nomination.
PAUL GREENGRASS
Captain Phillips
(Columbia Pictures)
Mr. Greengrass’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Managers: Todd Lewis, Gregory Goodman
• First Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
• Second Assistant Directors: Nick Shuttleworth, Mark S. Constance
This is Mr. Greengrass’s first DGA Award nomination.
STEVE McQUEEN
12 Years A Slave
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mr. McQueen’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Anthony Katagas
• First Assistant Director: Doug Torres
• Second Assistant Director: James Roque Jr.
• Second Second Assistant Director: Sherman Shelton Jr.
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Nathan Parker
This is Mr. McQueen’s first DGA Award nomination.
DAVID O. RUSSELL
American Hustle
(Columbia Pictures)
Mr. Russell’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Managers: Shea Kammer, Mark Kamine
• First Assistant Director: Michele ‘Shelley’ Ziegler
• Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jason Fesel
• Location Managers: David Velasco, Guy Efrat (New York Unit)
This is Mr. Russell’s second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for The Fighter in 2010.
MARTIN SCORSESE
The Wolf of Wall Street
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Richard Baratta
• First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
• Second Assistant Director: Francisco Oritz
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Scott Koche
• Location Manager: Nils Widboom
This is Mr. Scorsese’s eleventh DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and has also been nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004) and Hugo (2011).
Mr. Scorsese also won the DGA Award in 2010 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire and he was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for George Harrison: Living in the Material World in 2011. In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
http://www.dga.org/
END
Review: "The Weight of Water" is a Heavy Drama (Happy B'day, Sarah Polley)
The Weight of Water (2000)
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, sexuality/nudity, and brief language
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
WRITERS: Alice Arlen and Christopher Kyle (based upon the novel by Anita Shreve)
PRODUCERS: Janet Yang, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, and A. Kitman Ho
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adrian Biddle
EDITOR: Howard E. Smith
COMPOSER: David Hirschfelder
DRAMA/MYSTERY with elements of a thriller
Starring: Sean Penn, Catherine McCormack, Josh Lucas, Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Polley, Ciarán Hinds, Ulrich Thomsen, Anders W. Berthelsen, and Katrin Cartlidge
The subject of this movie review is The Weight of Water, a 2000 drama and mystery film from director Kathryn Bigelow. The film made its debut in 2000, but did not receive a U.S. release until November 2002. The film is based on the 1997 novel, The Weight of Water, by author Anita Shreve. The novel, which is historical fiction, is based in part on a real-life 19th century American murder case. The Weight of Water the movie focuses on a newspaper photographer who is researching the lurid and sensational axe murder of two women in 1873, while dealing with her own marital problems.
Two couples: Thomas and Jean Janes (Sean Penn and Catherine McCormack) and Thomas’ brother, Rich Janes (Josh Lucas), and his girlfriend, Adaline Gunne (Elizabeth Hurley) take a boat trip to the island of Smuttynose, off the New Hampshire coast. Jean is conducting a personal investigation of the double murder of two women back in 1873. Having unearthed an eyewitness account of the murders, Jane seeks to prove that the Louis Wagner (Ciarán Hinds), the man executed for the crimes, was innocent, and that his accuser, Maren Hontvedt (Sarah Polley), was instead the murderer. The film moves back and forth between the present day and the past, dredging up the incidents surrounding the murders and also the troubles in Thomas and Jean’s marriage.
After making films that fit one way or another in the action genre, director Kathryn Bigelow tackled dysfunctional marriages, dark family secrets, and murder in the film, The Weight of Water. Quite skilled at creating mood and atmosphere (as shown in her earlier works), Bigelow constructs a movie in which disappointment and resignation saturate the story and anger boils mightily beneath the surface.
The jumps in time, between the present and 1973, aren’t really a distraction; rather they build up tension and allow the stronger half of the film, Maren Hontvedt’s story and the murders in 1873, to support the weaker half, the Janes’ boat trip. Watching the film, one gets the idea that Bigelow was enamored with Maren Hontvedt’s half of the film and not as interested the present day half featuring the tense dynamic between Thomas, Jean, Rich, and Adaline. Connection with the present day sub-plots isn’t fun; at times, Bigelow handles them a little clumsily. On the other hand, she uses the riveting and bloody tale of 1873 to carry the past and present to an ending that is both gut wrenching and heavy. Here, through Sarah Polley as Maren, Bigelow makes her strongest case that the mistakes of the past, like insistent ghosts, never leave. They will drown the future if they aren’t guarded against – even in a small moment of weakness when the mind, body and soul lapse into rage.
6 of 10
B
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Update: Wednesday, January 08, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
January 8, 2014 Deadline Looms for Oscar Nominations Voting
Oscars® Nominations Voting Ends Wednesday, January 8
BEVERLY HILLS, CA —Nominations voting for the Oscars will close on Wednesday, January 8, at 5 p.m. PT.
The votes are being tabulated and verified by the international accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The 86th Oscars Nominations Announcement will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA —Nominations voting for the Oscars will close on Wednesday, January 8, at 5 p.m. PT.
The votes are being tabulated and verified by the international accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The 86th Oscars Nominations Announcement will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Review: "The Ant Bully" is Impressive (Happy B'day, Nicolas Cage)
The Ant Bully (2006) – computer animation
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild rude humor and action
DIRECTOR: John A. Davis
WRITER: John A. Davis (based upon the John Nickle)
PRODUCERS: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and John A. Davis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ken Mitchroney (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jon Price
COMPOSER: John Debney
ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/FAMILY
Starring: (voices) Zach Tyler Eisen, Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, Regina King, Bruce Campbell, Lily Tomlin, Cheri Oteri, Larry Miller, Allison Mack, Ricardo Montalban, and Myles Jeffrey
The subject of this movie review is The Ant Bully, a 2006 computer-animated fantasy film from director John A Davis. The movie is a joint venture from Warner Bros. Animation, Legendary Pictures, DNA Productions and Playtone, which is the production company owned by partners, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. The movie is based on The Ant Bully, a 1999 children’s picture book written and drawn by John Nickle. The Ant Bully the film focuses on a boy who terrifies an ant colony and then finds himself magically shrunken down to insect size and sentenced to hard labor.
Ten-year old Lucas Nickle (Zach Tyler Eisen) doesn’t have any friends, and he’s always the target of the neighborhood bully, Steve (Myles Jeffrey), and his gang. His sister, Tiffany (Allison Mack) mostly ignores him. His father, Fred (Larry Miller), is too busy planning his wedding anniversary trip to Puerto Vallarta, and his grandmother, Mommo (Lily Tomlin), is just plain weird. However, Lucas finds his mother, Doreen (Cheri Oteri), to be a bit overbearing, and he hates that she calls him “Peanut.”
Lucas takes his frustrations out on the anthill in his front yard – tormenting the ants by frequently flooding their territory. Lucas thinks of them as “just a bunch of stupid ants,” but he doesn’t know that the anthill is a complex society, in which the members of that colony have names, relationships, emotions, and responsibilities. They decide to fight back against Lucas – the one they know as the “Destroyer,” so Zoc (Nicolas Cage), a wizard ant, concocts a potion to take care of the Destroyer. After the ants pour the magic elixir down his ear, Lucas shrinks down to their size, and the ants promptly take him to stand trial for “crimes against the colony.”
The wise Ant Queen (Meryl Streep) sentences Lucas to live amongst the ants and learn their ways so that he can become an ant. Zoc’s girlfriend, Hova (Julia Roberts), a nurse ant, volunteers to mentor the miniaturized Lucas, much to Zoc’s chagrin. With the help of Kreela (Regina King), a forager ant, and Fugax (Bruce Campbell), a scout ant, Hova helps the reluctant Lucas fit into the colony. Lucas’ skills and new friendships are tested when he and the ants must have to take on Stan Beals (Paul Giamatti), a local exterminator, in an epic air battle over the Nickles’ front lawn.
There were so many computer-animated movies that received a wide theatrical release in 2006 that some were bound to get lost in the shuffle. One of the lost was The Ant Bully, an excellent talking animal fable produced by actor Tom Hanks’ production company (Playtone) and the computer animation studio behind Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, DNA Productions. Written for the screen and directed by the creator of Jimmy Neutron, John A. Davis, The Ant Bully is several times better than Jimmy Neutron, in terms of story, voice acting, and animation.
Adapting John Nickle’s book, Davis wrote a traditional animal fable that teaches a lesson or makes a moral point, but is not didactic or overbearing. Davis simply uses comedy, adventure, action, dramatic conflict, and obstacles to make a point that a group of individuals with different skills can work together and make the whole better. However, to take Davis’ film as saying that the group is good and the individual is bad would be a poor misreading.
The voice performances are quite good. For all the star power the voice cast has, what stars like Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage do is bring color and character to the parts the play. Zach Tyler Eisen simply brings Lucas Nickle to life. Lucas’ troubles fitting in, his stubbornness, and his struggle to break away from mommy all seem genuine. Even Regina King, Bruce Campbell, Lily Tomlin manage to add much comic flavor to the film via their supporting roles.
At first, The Ant Bully’s animation seems to make every thing look plastic and fake, but perhaps, the eyes need time to adjust. The film is imaginative in concept and design – especially in building a world of outsized and giant sets for tiny beings. Everything has texture and surface quality to it. The exoskeletons of the ants and wasps actually look solid; it’s as if the eyes are actually touching the surfaces to verify what is genuine. The character movement is good, and jumps up to wonderful and superb during all the big action set pieces – especially during the air battle at the end.
Fans of computer animation and also families that want to share a movie with a good message absolutely won’t go wrong with The Ant Bully. We follow Lucas down into the anthill where awaits a world of wonder and magical animal creatures that dazzle the eyes and sometimes blow the mind. And the movie’s pretty funny, too.
8 of 10
A
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Updated: Tuesday, January 07, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Disney Claims its Rightful Star Wars Property from Dark Horse Comics
by Leroy Douresseaux
Back in 2012, I was surprised to hear that George Lucas was selling his company, Lucasfilm, Ltd., to The Walt Disney Company. Through Lucasfilm, Lucas owned such franchises as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. After hearing about the sale, the first thing I thought was what is going to happen to Dark Horse Comics' license to produce Star Wars comic books.
Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Dark Horse lost the license, which it had held for over two decades. After all, Disney had gobbled up Marvel Enterprises (or whatever it calls itself), the owner of Marvel Comics, before they had consumed Lucasfilm. So why would Disney let Dark Horse produce Star Wars comic books when Disney owned its own comic book company, Marvel Comics?
Dark Horse recently sent out the following message from publisher Mike Richardson to the contacts on its press list:
A MESSAGE FROM MIKE RICHARDSON
The End of an Era
All things come to pass. So too, do all licensed deals. I am sad to report that Disney, the new owner of Lucasfilm, has notified us here at Dark Horse of their intention to move the Star Wars publishing license to another of their recent acquisitions, Marvel Comics, beginning in 2015. This will end a partnership that has lasted more than two decades.
For those who are new to the industry, Dark Horse revolutionized the treatment of comics based on films. After a history of movie properties being poorly handled with little regard for execution and continuity, Dark Horse took a new approach, carefully choosing licenses and approaching them with excitement and creative energy. Our goal was to create sequels and prequels to the films we loved, paying careful attention to quality and detail, essentially treating those films as though they were our own. Star Wars has been the crown jewel of this approach. We began chasing the title as far back as 1989, and with the launch of Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire, a new era in comics was born. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were Star Wars geeks, and we have been determined to spare neither effort nor expense in the pursuit of excellence.
It is ironic that this announcement comes at a time when Dark Horse is experiencing its most successful year ever. For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of Star Wars? That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen. In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the Star Wars comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still.
Mike Richardson
About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Geof Darrow, Guillermo Del Toro and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties such as The Mask, Ghost, Captain Midnight, and X. Its successful line of comics, books, and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Halo, Serenity, The Legend of Zelda, Game of Thrones and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.
END of message
Over two decades, Dark Horse published an endless stream of Star Wars comic books, but it all began with one of the best works in what is now known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Star Wars: Dark Empire. Well, I'm ready to see what Marvel Comics, which first held the license from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, does this time around.
L
Back in 2012, I was surprised to hear that George Lucas was selling his company, Lucasfilm, Ltd., to The Walt Disney Company. Through Lucasfilm, Lucas owned such franchises as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. After hearing about the sale, the first thing I thought was what is going to happen to Dark Horse Comics' license to produce Star Wars comic books.
Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Dark Horse lost the license, which it had held for over two decades. After all, Disney had gobbled up Marvel Enterprises (or whatever it calls itself), the owner of Marvel Comics, before they had consumed Lucasfilm. So why would Disney let Dark Horse produce Star Wars comic books when Disney owned its own comic book company, Marvel Comics?
Dark Horse recently sent out the following message from publisher Mike Richardson to the contacts on its press list:
A MESSAGE FROM MIKE RICHARDSON
The End of an Era
All things come to pass. So too, do all licensed deals. I am sad to report that Disney, the new owner of Lucasfilm, has notified us here at Dark Horse of their intention to move the Star Wars publishing license to another of their recent acquisitions, Marvel Comics, beginning in 2015. This will end a partnership that has lasted more than two decades.
For those who are new to the industry, Dark Horse revolutionized the treatment of comics based on films. After a history of movie properties being poorly handled with little regard for execution and continuity, Dark Horse took a new approach, carefully choosing licenses and approaching them with excitement and creative energy. Our goal was to create sequels and prequels to the films we loved, paying careful attention to quality and detail, essentially treating those films as though they were our own. Star Wars has been the crown jewel of this approach. We began chasing the title as far back as 1989, and with the launch of Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire, a new era in comics was born. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were Star Wars geeks, and we have been determined to spare neither effort nor expense in the pursuit of excellence.
It is ironic that this announcement comes at a time when Dark Horse is experiencing its most successful year ever. For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of Star Wars? That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen. In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the Star Wars comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still.
Mike Richardson
About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Geof Darrow, Guillermo Del Toro and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties such as The Mask, Ghost, Captain Midnight, and X. Its successful line of comics, books, and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Halo, Serenity, The Legend of Zelda, Game of Thrones and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.
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Over two decades, Dark Horse published an endless stream of Star Wars comic books, but it all began with one of the best works in what is now known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Star Wars: Dark Empire. Well, I'm ready to see what Marvel Comics, which first held the license from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, does this time around.
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