YooZoo Pictures, the new film division of gaming giant Youzu Interactive, has acquired Chinese distribution rights for Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge from IM Global.
The deal marks the first high-profile acquisition for the company, which will also have a presentation credit in international territories. YooZoo Pictures US recently opened an office in Los Angeles, and the Hacksaw Ridge deal marks another step in the growth of online and mobile entertainment company Youzu Interactive under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Lin Qi, one of the youngest self-made billionaires in China. Youzu Interactive, which specializes in game development and distribution, is the only publicly traded electronic gaming company on the Shanghai stock exchange.
The deal was negotiated by YooZoo Pictures US CEO Wei Han and senior vp international development and operations David Jourdan on behalf of IM Global.
Directed by Gibson, the film stars Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man films, Social Network), Sam Worthington (Avatar) and Vince Vaughn (Into the Wild, Wedding Crashers). Described as an epic, the film is based on the true story of Desmond T. Doss, the first conscientious objector in U.S. history to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace wrote the screenplay.
Cross Creek is the principal financier of the film, which is produced by Bill Mechanic’s Pandemonium Films and David Permut’s Permut Productions. Also onboard as a producer is Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver.
IM Global acquired the international rights for the the film, which will be distributed in the U.S. by Lionsgate/Summit.
