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French graphic novel series “Monstre” is set to be adapted into a premium TV show.

Trioscope, the hybrid-tech studio behind Netflix’s “The Liberator” and the George R. R. Martin-produced “Night of the Cooters,” will adapt “Le Sommeil du monstre,” the first instalment of award-winning French graphic novelist Enki Bilal’s sci-fi “Monstre” tetralogy.

Collaborating with the author and illustrator on what is touted as his most personal work, Trioscope will introduce TV viewers to the complex world of Bilal’s “Monster.”

“Monster” will transport viewers to a futuristic world where protagonist Nike Hatzfeld, a man with the unique ability to recall every memory since the day he was born, finds himself using his gift to make sense of his orphaned past to survive the chaotic and savage present. His story intertwines with Leyla and Amir, born just days apart from him in the same orphanage bed and also...

Exclusive: 1883‘s Lamonica Garrett and Martin Sensmeier are the latest additions to the cast of the street racing action-thriller Takeover, led by Migos frontman Quavo, from Trioscope and Quality Films. The pair joins an ensemble which also includes Billy Zane and Serayah, as previously announced.

The film, currently in production in Atlanta, will implement Trioscope’s proprietary technology that blends live-action with CG, underscoring the fascination and controversy surrounding the city’s street takeovers — also known as “sideshows.”

Garrett portrays Sheriff ‘Herc’ Hitchens, public enemy #1 in the takeover community. Herc is a sadistic officer, whose life mission is to shut down the illegal racing scene and its major players — especially Guy Miller (Quavo), a recent parolee who’s attempting to rehabilitate his life when circumstances propel him back into Atlanta’s dangerous takeover scene.

Sensmeier plays Hilario, leader of an original takeover crew, The Jackals. Hilario is a silent-yet-predictable man...

Billy Zane knows how to pick a villain. The actor has consistently provoked reactions of seething disgust for decades, ever since he first jumped on the screen in "Back to the Future" as one of Biff's henchmen. Of course, he is best known as the epitome of entitlement and toxicity in James Cameron's epic "Titanic," where he most famously abused the "women and children first" code of conduct by kidnapping a little girl he immediately abandons when she isn't a convenience. 

Since then, Zane has played villains in "MacGruber," "Kingdom Hearts," and even in "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" where Zane plays the greatest showman himself, P.T. Barnum. As a reminder, that show was insane, and totally perfect. 

Now, Zane has found his latest role, and it sounds like another Zane winner. Variety reports Billy Zane is set to star in the action thriller heist film "Takeover."

What Is Takeover About?...

Actor Billy Zane and rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Quavo are starring in action thriller feature film “Takeover.”

Zane plays Gamal Akopyan, the leader of an international heist ring, who uses street takeovers to get away with mass robberies. When his latest heist goes awry, he must do whatever it takes to escape the Atlanta takeover scene alive – with nine figures worth of diamonds.

Street takeovers are a U.S. phenomenon where motorists arrive at a particular location in a coordinated manner similar to flash mobs, block streets with their vehicles and engage in stunts with their cars. Criminals often use this time to conduct robberies.

Trioscope, the production company behind Netflix’s “The Liberator,” and Quality Films (“Ice Cold”), the filmmaking division of Quality Control Music, are producing.

“Takeover” is set in and filming in Atlanta, a hotbed of the street takeover car culture. The film aims to...

Trioscope, the company behind “The Liberator” (Netflix) and George R.R. Martin-produced “Night of the Cooters,” has launched its patented Trioscope Platform to license its proprietary technology to third-party content creators.

London-based production house Oiffy and Poland-based BreakThru Films are the first to license the Trioscope Platform for sequences in director Alex Helfrecht’s upcoming love story “A Winter’s Journey,” based on Franz Schubert’s song cycle. The film stars John Malkovich, Jason Isaacs, Martina Gedeck and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for major territories with MK2 Films handling international sales. Trioscope Europe will provide CG and VFX services for the film.

The Platform offers a suite of practical production tools and software that marries human performance with computer-generated (CG) environments and will provide filmmakers the opportunity to forge stylized final pictures that boast a broad array of imaginative looks, including graphic novel, painterly imagery and more.

There have been dozens upon dozens of wartime epics committed to the screen, but none look like “The Liberator.” I mean this quite literally: after getting stuck in a lengthy development hell at the History channel once it became clear how expensive it would be to film, “The Liberator” team made a calculated artistic choice to shift from eight live-action episodes to four animated ones that would significantly slash costs and bring a jolt of unique energy to the production. The version of “The Liberator” premiering Nov. 11 on Netflix, produced in conjunction with Trioscope Studios, reveals a striking combination of animation and live-action performance that feels like a graphic novel come to life.

The series, based on historian Alex Kershaw’s book of the same name, follows the winding path of Felix Sparks (Bradley James), an officer who led his infantry unit on a remarkably treacherous 500-day march through Europe...

Exclusive: The American Forces Network is getting a special Veterans Day broadcast of Netflix’s World War II animated drama series The Liberator, for military service members and their families. Based on the book by Alex Kershaw, the series hails from writer Jeb Stuart (Die Hard), A+E Studios, Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne’s Unique Features and Triscope Studios.

The four-part limited series, which also launches Nov. 11 on Netflix, airs on Afn|prime Atlantic at 7 p.m. (Cet) for viewers in Central Europe and at 7 p.m. Japan|Korea Time (Jkt) on Afn|prime Pacific for viewers in Japan and Korea.

Created by Stuart, based on Kershaw’s book The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey , the limited series follows the true story of maverick U.S. Army officer Felix Sparks and his infantry unit as they fought for over 500 days to liberate Europe.

“This Veterans Day, we...

The new Netflix miniseries The Liberator is a World War II story about brave men who bond through that terrifying experience, and who say things like, “Fear is a reaction; courage is a decision.” It is similar, in all ways but two, to dozens and dozens of filmed tales set amid that event, in particular the HBO classic Band of Brothers. But those two ways are fairly interesting, even if The Liberator doesn’t always take full advantage of them.

The first is that our heroes are members of the...

Exclusive: Producers L.C. Crowley and Brandon Barr and former LucasFilm and Industrial Light & Magic VFX creative Greg Jonkajtys have launched a studio to develop projects in Trioscope, a new hybrid animation technology that combines state-of-the-art CGI with live-action performance.

This comes off the back of Netflix’s The Liberator, the first project produced using the technology, which the trio scored with Die Hard writer Jed Stuart, A+E Studios and Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne’s Unique Features.

Trioscope Studios will develop original drama content and adapt third party IP using its proprietary animation technology.

Crowley will serve as Chief Executive Officer with Barr as Chief Content Officer and Jonkajtys as Chief Creative Officer. Joining them is Brian Lavin, Senior Vice President of Development.

Crowley and Barr previously established Atlanta-based production company School of Humans. The company worked on projects including Daytime Fighting League (Adult Swim), Stuff You Should Know (Science Channel...

Exclusive: Bradley James has been cast as the lead of The Liberator, Netflix’s four-part animated World War II drama series based on the book by Alex Kershaw, from writer Jeb Stuart, A+E Studios, Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne’s Unique Features and School of Humans.

The Liberator is the first project produced in Trioscope, a new enhanced hybrid animation technology that combines state-of-the-art CGI with live-action performance. It allows creators to tell a visually compelling story with rich detail in a way that conveys the human emotion and drama of the serious subject matter.

Created, written and executive produced by Stuart, The Liberator is based on Kershaw’s book The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey. It tells the riveting true story of the bloodiest and most dramatic march to victory of the Second World War: the battlefield odyssey...

Netflix will exclusively stream the animated, 4-episode World War II drama series "The Liberator", directed by Grzegorz Jonkajtys, based on the book "The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey" by Alex Kershaw, to be produced in 'Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation', a new patent-pending technology combining state-of-the-art CGI with live-action performance:

"...the story follows the battlefield odyssey of maverick 'Us Army' officer 'Felix Sparks' and his 157th Infantry Regiment from Oklahoma...

"...a National Guard unit comprised primarily of cowboys, Native Americans and Mexican-Americans...

"... fighting across Europe, from the 'Invasion of Italy' to the liberation of Dachau..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Netflix is set to produce an interesting new four-part World War II drama series called The Liberator. The series is based on a book written by Alex Kershaw, and it’s being adapted by screenwriter Jeb Stuart.

Kershaw’s book is called The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey, and it tells the “riveting true story of the bloodiest and most dramatic march to victory of the Second World War: the battlefield odyssey of maverick U.S. Army officer Felix Sparks and his infantry unit as they fought for over 500 days to liberate Europe.”

The combat drama will follow Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment from Oklahoma, “a National Guard unit composed primarily of cowboys, Native Americans and Mexican-Americans from the invasion of Italy to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.”

This sounds like an incredible story to tell filled with great characters and I can’t...

Netflix is using a unique method to tell the story of one of the bloodiest and most dramatic events during World War II.

The streamer ordered a four-part drama, “The Liberator” that will be a mix of live action and CGI that use a new technology called Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation. The combat drama will follow Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment from Oklahoma, a National Guard unit comprised primarily of cowboys, Native Americans and Mexican-Americans from the Invasion of Italy to the liberation of the concentration camp of Dachau.

Based on Alex Kershaw’s book “The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey,” the series was created by “Die Hard” and “The Fugitive” writer Jeb Stuart.

Also Read: 'The One': Netflix Orders TV Adaptation of John Marrs Sci-Fi Novel About DNA and Dating

Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation is a new patent-pending technology combining CGI (computer generated images) with live-action performance.

Exclusive: Netflix has given a green light to The Liberator, a four-part animated World War II drama series based on the book by Alex Kershaw, from writer Jeb Stuart, A+E Studios, Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne’s Unique Features and School of Humans. It marks A+E Studios’ first series for Netflix as the A+E Networks’ production unit has been branching out.

The Liberator will be the first project produced in Trioscope, a new enhanced hybrid animation technology that combines state-of-the-art CGI with live-action performance. It allows creators to tell a visually compelling story with rich detail in a way that conveys the human emotion and drama of the serious subject matter.

Grzegorz Jonkajtys developed the Trioscope technology together with School of Humans’ L.C. Crowley. Jonkajtys also will direct all four episodes. While production is yet to begin,...

Okay, this is pretty awesome. filmmaker and friend to Quiet Earth, Greg Jonkajtys (The 3rd Letter) is developing a feature animated film based on Teddy Floppy-Ear, a beloved Polish children's character created in 1957 by writer Mieczysław Janczarski that spawned a series of books as well. Of course, as is Jonkajtys' way, his version has a dystopian vibe that offers a chilling take in the life of a toy.

The original animated television series premiered in 1974 and several generations of Polish kids were brought up with it. The series became a hit abroad – in Japan, Finland, Slovenia, Holland, Slovakia and Hungary – and is still broadcast t [Continued ...]...

Filmmaker and friend to Quiet Earth, Grzegorz Jonkajtys, dropped us a line to let us know about this amazing new project hinging on Cryptozoology, a pseudoscience involving the search for mythical creatures -- in this case "The Ningyo."

The 25 minute short was successfully funded through Kickstater and this trailer gives us our first look at where some of that money went -- great atmosphere, creature FX and cinematography to name only a few of the great work on display here.

Synopsis:

A 1909 period film pilot about "cryptozoology". The search for mythological or unproven creatures. A Faustian tale about losing oneself in the process of achieving our goals.

Professor Marlowe finds a piece of a map pointing to the place where the [Continued ...]...

The stuff that people can do with CG animation these days still manages to impress me, especially when I see something like this independent short film. It's called "Legacy," and it was directed beautifully by Grzegorz Jonkajtys. Here's a short synopsis:

In 2030 patrolling alien spaceships received a powerful radio wave, originating at the blue planet. A recon mission has been sent to investigate the disruption, to question and possibly capture one of the inhabitants of the blue planet, also known as humans.

The design in the film was great, but I especially loved what he did with the alien design. This is really great stuff, and the guy who made it is crazy talented. I hope you enjoy it! ...

Pestilence, War, Famine, Death, Jonkajtys; Deadline reports that Grzegorz Jonkajtys has signed on to direct The Fourth Horseman, an action thriller from Intrepid Pictures (Safe House, Doomsday). The movie will follow a medical intern haunted by visions of a nightmarish future who has to save the world from destruction by preventing the fourth horseman of the apocalypse (Death) from emerging.

This will be the feature directorial debut for Jonkajtys, a visual effects artist with numerous credits to his name (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Star Trek Sin City, Iron Man 2 and the upcoming Cloud Atlas and Pacific Rim, to name a few) plus a few short films (one of which, the animated short The Ark, you can watch below and see a still above). Byron Willinger and Phil DeBlasi handled intitial screenwriting duties while Ryan Engle (New Line’s upcoming adaptation of Midway’s classic game Rampage) handled the latest draft.

Visual effects whiz Grzegorz Jonkajtys is set to direct the contemporary action thriller feature "Fourth Horseman" at Intrepid Pictures reports Deadline.

The story follows a young medical intern who is haunted by nightmarish visions of the future and is hunted by three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He discovers his destiny is to prevent the rise of the Fourth Horseman, Death, and avert the apocalypse.

Byron Willinger, Phil DeBlasi and Ryan Engel penned the script. Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans are producing. Jonkajtys helmed the short film thriller "The Ark" which was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes.

Some are born an’ some are dyin’. It’s Alpha’s and Omega’s Kingdom come. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts. And I looked and behold: a pale horse. And his name, that sat on him, was Death. And Hell followed with him.

According to Deadline, Intrepid Pictures has tapped Grzegorz Jonkajtys to helm Fourth Horseman, a contemporary action thriller. The logline: A young medical intern who is haunted by nightmarish clairvoyant visions of the future is hunted by three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He discovers his destiny is to prevent the rise of the Fourth Horseman – Death – and to avert the end of the world.

The script was written by Byron Willinger and Phil DeBlasi, and the latest draft was written by Ryan Engel. Intrepid’s Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans are producing, and Mike Karz is executive producer.

Deadline reports Grzegorz Jonkajtys will direct Fourth Horseman for Intrepid Pictures.  The script, penned by Byron Willinger and Phil DeBlasi, concerns "a young medical intern who is haunted by nightmarish clairvoyant visions of the future, is hunted by three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He discovers his destiny is to prevent the rise of the Fourth Horseman - Death - and to avert the end of the world."  Jonkajtys has a history in visual effects, you'll find his short film Ark inside...

Read more...

Exclusive: Intrepid Pictures has tapped Grzegorz Jonkajtys to helm Fourth Horseman, a contemporary action thriller. The logline: a young medical intern who is haunted by nightmarish clairvoyant visions of the future, is hunted by three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He discovers his destiny is to prevent the rise of the Fourth Horseman–Death–and to avert the end of the world. Script was written by Byron Willinger & Phil DeBlasi, and the latest draft was written by Ryan Engel. Intrepid’s Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans are producing and Mike Karz is executive producer. Jonkajtys helmed the short thriller films The 3rd Letter and The Ark. He has also done strong visual effects work on such films as Battleship, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Rango, Iron Man 2, Star Trek, Sin City and Pan’s Labyrinth. He’s repped by Verve and Gotham Group. Intrepid is in pre-production on Oculus,...

This stunning trailer just came out of nowhere. Courtesy of our friend Grzegorz Jonkajtys, it's made by a bunch of talented friends who collaborated on The 3rd Letter, one of which whose done CGI for Pacific Rim and Battleship. Set in the near future on the verge of environmental collapse, a scientist invents a machine that allows direct contact with God. The Church already knows God's will and unleashes their secret weapon once again. We're waiting on further info, but watch!

Continue reading...

In recent years France has been among the front-runners in pushing the boundaries of modern horror. With such offerings as Frontier(s), Inside and High Tension, French filmmakers have been making us seriously squirm. It is with this reminder of the quality of their filmmaking that we at Dread Central bring you an announcement of the film list from the 17th Annual L'Etrange Festival, France's biggest horror film festival.

With over 70 films being screened and more than 17,000 attendees expected to descend on Paris, Le'Etrange Festival

Below we have the Complete listing of the festival's events:

From the Press Release

L’Étrange Festival – a unique event bringing filmgoers a fascinating roster of provocative and eye-opening films – is thrilled to announce the line-up for its 17th edition, September 2 – 11, 2011 in Paris, France.

The 2011 line-up continues the tradition of highlighting emerging talent, paying homage to independent-minded filmmakers and featuring a truly diverse program that includes cutting-edge works,...

It’s lucky 13 for the Boston Underground Film Festival as they celebrate their raucous 13th annual edition this year. Opening with the much buzzed about bloody feature film Hobo With a Shotgun starring Rutger Hauer and directed by Jason Eisener, the fest then barrels on for eight wild nights and days from March 24-31.

While there’s plenty of underground goodness from the U.S.A., this year Buff feels like it’s a much more international affair with several sick features from around the globe. There’s gory horror and quirky black comedy from Japan in the guise of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Helldriver and Sion Sono’s Cold Fish; the Argentinian freak-out Phase7 by Nicolas Goldbart; David Blyth’s Wound is a psychological thriller from New Zealand; and Mark Hartley’s Machete Maidens Unleashed! is a look at Philippine exploitation cinema from the ’70s.

Stateside there’s Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane,...

Wow. I'm always amazed to find stuff like this out there, beautiful work that's just fascinating to watch. Why isn't this guy directing features yet? There's a new short you've got to check out called The 3rd Letter from Polish visual FX artist Grzegorz 'Greg' Jonkajtys. He posted the entire 15-minute short online via Vimeo, so you can watch it below. "A distinctive dystopian vision where humans utterly depend on bio-mechanical alteration to withstand the deteriorating climate." It has a bit of a 12 Monkeys+Andrew Niccol+Cronenberg kind of vibe to it, hard to describe, but it looks great and was quite entertaining. Highly suggested viewing! Watch Grzegorz Jonkajtys' 15-minute short film The 3rd Letter here: We owe thanks to Twitch for first finding this impressive short film. The 3rd Letter, aka 36 Stairs, was co-written & directed by Polish filmmaker Grzegorz Jonkajtys, who broke out with his short film Ark...

Here at Dread Central we're always on the lookout for new and exciting cool things for you guys to dig on. It's what we're here for after all. Well, that and lacing every news story with as much innuendo as possible. Anyway, another new short film is now available to watch in its entirety, and we've got the goods for you right here.

Below you'll find a short film called The Third Letter from award-winning director Grzegorz Jonkajtys which is billed as "a distinctive dystopian vision where humans utterly depend on bio-mechanical alteration to withstand the deteriorating climate". Dig on it, and let us know what you think in our comments section!

For more visit the official The 3rd Letter website

The 3rd Letter from grzegorz jonkajtys on Vimeo.

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Grzegorz Jonkajtys is one of the most exciting new directors working today. From the incredible post apocalyptic short The Ark which was an official selection selection at Cannes a few years back, to his short Legacy his visions never fail to impress.

Jonkajtys is one of those directors you keep an eye on because they always do their own thing and you just know they're going to deliver something incredible. His newest short, the dystopian and decidedly apocalyptic The 3rd Letter (formerly 36 Stairs) is nothing short of amazing.

Synopsis:

Set against a polluted, megalopolis world, the tragic tale of Jeffrey Brief (Rodrigo Lopresti) unfolds; faced with the imminent loss of his crucial health insurance, Brief unwittingly unravels the dark truth behind population control that pushes him to unspeakable lengths.

Obvious questions are when will Jonkajtys move to features and what's he got in store for us next? Well, we know...

For those in Seattle, your in luck. The 2nd edition of the The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival is this coming weekend (September 17th - 19th) and has not only a few films to satisfy, but a couple we really love.

Our own agentorange called Adam Mason's Blood River, which will be playing, a tour-de-force. You can read our review here..

A Serbian Film may have run into a few problems elsewhere, but play here in the states is never an issue.

You can check out further details and buy tickets off the official website.

Full lineup after the break.

Blood River

USA - Director Adam Mason - 104 min

A newlywed couple are pushed to the limit during a chance encounter with a mysterious drifter in a deserted ghost town.

Mørke Sjeler (Dark Souls)

Norway, France - Directors César Ducasse, Mathieu Peteul - 97 min

A revengeful father embarks on...

Dragon Con SymbolThe Dragon Con Independent Film Festival has announced a full list of short and features films for the event. One of the largest film festivals in America, Dragon Con takes place in Atlanta, Georgia beginning September 3rd. This years feature highlights involve a zombie apocalypse taking place at a prom in As Good As Dead, two students trying to save the world from terrorists in Horrible Turn, and a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's story The Lord of the Rings in Born of Hope. This is only a brief intro' and fans of independent film and creativity can check out the schedule for the film festival below, or at the Dragon Con website.

The full synopsis for Born of Hope:

"A scattered people, the descendants of storied sea kings of the ancient West, struggle to survive in a lonely wilderness as a dark force relentlessly bends its will toward their destruction.

We've been in touch with Grzegorz Jonkajtys, the creator of the incredible post apocalyptic short The Ark which was an official selection selection at Cannes a few years back, for a while now, and while we recently posted his short short Legacy, we knew he had something incredible in store for us.. which we just got word on.

36 Steps is his new live action/cgi blended short which will run roughly 30 minutes and involves a dystopic vision of the future where humanity depends on bio-mechanical alterations to withstand the deteriorating climate, and it's nothing short of stunning. If only it was a feature.. someone give this dude money!

Synopsis:

Set against a polluted, megalopolis world, the tragic tale of Jeffrey Brief (Rodrigo Lopresti) unfolds; faced with the imminent loss of his crucial health insurance, Brief unwittingly unravels the dark truth behind population control that pushes him to unspeakable lengths.

Trailer after the break.

We’ve been tracking the development with keen interest for Grzegorz Jonkajtys’ The Ark, an animated short produce by Platige Image of Poland ever since it capture our attention a while back for its impressive animation quality. After making a few rounds at the festival circuit in 2007 where it received a nomination for the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival and won the “Best of Show” prize at Siggraph Computer Animation Festival, Grzegorz has finally posted the complete version online. Here’s a brief synopsis:

An unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population. Oblivious to the true nature of the disease, the only remaining survivors escape to the sea. In great ships, they set off in search of uninhabited land. So begins the exodus, led by one man ...

The complete version is supposedly online at the official site but its getting bombarded with too...