Jerome Levy’s Vuelta Group, a private-equity-backed European studio, has acquired German production and licensing giant Telepool from Westbrook, the U.S. outfit controlled Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Vuelta will merge Telepool with Munich-based SquareOne, the German producer/distributor it acquired last year. SquareOne CEO Al Munteanu, head of Vuelta Group Germany, will take over the running of the merged company, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
Telepool has one of the largest rights libraries in Europe, with German-language rights to more than 1,200 titles, including such features as The Imitation Game, Drive, Olympus Has Fallen, Lone Survivor and French hit Intouchables, as well as Westbrook-produced features like Oscar-winner King Richard. Upcoming features include the Hellboy reboot The Crooked Man and Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War sequel, Lords of War, starring Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård.
Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, who took over as CEO at Telepool two years ago, will leave the company.
Vuelta will merge Telepool with Munich-based SquareOne, the German producer/distributor it acquired last year. SquareOne CEO Al Munteanu, head of Vuelta Group Germany, will take over the running of the merged company, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
Telepool has one of the largest rights libraries in Europe, with German-language rights to more than 1,200 titles, including such features as The Imitation Game, Drive, Olympus Has Fallen, Lone Survivor and French hit Intouchables, as well as Westbrook-produced features like Oscar-winner King Richard. Upcoming features include the Hellboy reboot The Crooked Man and Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War sequel, Lords of War, starring Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård.
Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, who took over as CEO at Telepool two years ago, will leave the company.
- 5/8/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
German distributor-producer SquareOne Entertainment, part of rising European film studio Vuelta Group, has acquired German film and TV production, distribution and licensing company Telepool, which was owned by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.
The news was announced Wednesday by Vuelta Group chairman Jerome Levy and CEO of SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany Al Munteanu.
Munteanu will spearhead the newly combined entity under the SquareOne banner with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
The newly combined SquareOne entity will boast a library consisting of over 1,200 titles such as “Drive,” “Intouchables,” “The Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Imitation Game,” “Lone Survivor,” “Book Club,” “Transporter 3,” “King Richard,” “Maurice the Tomcat” and the recently released “One Life” among others.
“For over 60 years, Telepool has been one of the leading global content houses and we are proud of the work we did with the company,” said Westbrook CEO Kosaku Yada.
The news was announced Wednesday by Vuelta Group chairman Jerome Levy and CEO of SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany Al Munteanu.
Munteanu will spearhead the newly combined entity under the SquareOne banner with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
The newly combined SquareOne entity will boast a library consisting of over 1,200 titles such as “Drive,” “Intouchables,” “The Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Imitation Game,” “Lone Survivor,” “Book Club,” “Transporter 3,” “King Richard,” “Maurice the Tomcat” and the recently released “One Life” among others.
“For over 60 years, Telepool has been one of the leading global content houses and we are proud of the work we did with the company,” said Westbrook CEO Kosaku Yada.
- 5/8/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Playtime has boarded “Crossing Lines,” a Danish thriller by Baghdad-born first-time director Jahfar Muataz.
Currently filming, “Crossing Lines” revolves around a reformed criminal, Cairo, who enjoys his new life as a gang exit counselor. When his nephew Hamza disappears, Cairo discovers he had secretly joined his former gang. Despite his pledge to avoid violence, Cairo enlists his former underworld connections, growing frustrated with the police’s lack of action. His investigation leads him into Copenhagen’s criminal scene where his past instincts resurface.
The well-known cast is led by Afshin Firouzi (“Boundless”), Albert Arthur Amiryan (“Forhøret”), Charlotte Fich (“Borgen”).
“Jahfar’s script is a page turner,” said Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, co-ceo of Playtime. “This is exactly what you are looking for when you receive a project as an international sales company: something engaging, with a fresh tone, that can speak to people across borders,” he continued.
Jahfar moved to Denmark as...
Currently filming, “Crossing Lines” revolves around a reformed criminal, Cairo, who enjoys his new life as a gang exit counselor. When his nephew Hamza disappears, Cairo discovers he had secretly joined his former gang. Despite his pledge to avoid violence, Cairo enlists his former underworld connections, growing frustrated with the police’s lack of action. His investigation leads him into Copenhagen’s criminal scene where his past instincts resurface.
The well-known cast is led by Afshin Firouzi (“Boundless”), Albert Arthur Amiryan (“Forhøret”), Charlotte Fich (“Borgen”).
“Jahfar’s script is a page turner,” said Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, co-ceo of Playtime. “This is exactly what you are looking for when you receive a project as an international sales company: something engaging, with a fresh tone, that can speak to people across borders,” he continued.
Jahfar moved to Denmark as...
- 5/2/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Vuelta Group is a joint venture from Scanbox, SquareOne and Playtime.
Recently launched European studio Vuelta has added Italy’s Indiana Production and France’s Pan to its ever-expanding footprint on the continent.
The groups join the all-new private equity-funded joint venture’s current team encompassing Nordic film company Scanbox, German distributor SquareOne and French powerhouse sales force Playtime.
Film and TV production house Indiana, founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, is behind Giorgio Diritti’s Venice competitor Lubo and Netflix series The Leopard and Unwanted. They also produced Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital and The First Beautiful Thing,...
Recently launched European studio Vuelta has added Italy’s Indiana Production and France’s Pan to its ever-expanding footprint on the continent.
The groups join the all-new private equity-funded joint venture’s current team encompassing Nordic film company Scanbox, German distributor SquareOne and French powerhouse sales force Playtime.
Film and TV production house Indiana, founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, is behind Giorgio Diritti’s Venice competitor Lubo and Netflix series The Leopard and Unwanted. They also produced Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital and The First Beautiful Thing,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Italy’s Indiana Production – which has just become part of pan-European studio Vuelta Group – is staying true to its roots with production kicking off this month on gender swap movie “Romeo is Juliet,” directed by quality comedy specialist Giovanni Veronesi, just as the company expands its horizons.
This latest title in Indiana’s slate stars A-lister Sergio Castellitto and Pilar Fogliati (“Romantiche”) who plays an actress named Vittoria who after being brutally rejected by a cynical stage director when she auditions to play Juliet in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” decides to reinvent herself as a man to audition for Romeo and gets the part. The film’s lead actors and director are pictured above.
“Romeo is Juliet” is being produced by Indiana, co-produced by Capri Entertainment, and will be distributed in Italian theatres by Vision Distribution. The movie will start production in September.
Founded in 2005, Indiana over the ensuing...
This latest title in Indiana’s slate stars A-lister Sergio Castellitto and Pilar Fogliati (“Romantiche”) who plays an actress named Vittoria who after being brutally rejected by a cynical stage director when she auditions to play Juliet in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” decides to reinvent herself as a man to audition for Romeo and gets the part. The film’s lead actors and director are pictured above.
“Romeo is Juliet” is being produced by Indiana, co-produced by Capri Entertainment, and will be distributed in Italian theatres by Vision Distribution. The movie will start production in September.
Founded in 2005, Indiana over the ensuing...
- 9/20/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Vuelta Group, the rising European film studio which recently launched with the high profile acquisitions of France’s Playtime, Germany’s SquareOne and Scandinavia’s Scanbox, is expanding its footprint in Italy and France.
Spearheaded by media finance veterans (and childhood friends) Jerome Levy and David Atlan-Jackson, Vuelta has bought Indiana Production, a leading Italian company founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, which had Giorgio Diritti’s “Lubo” playing in competition at Venice and just teased its big-budget Netflix series project “The Leopard” and Sky’s “Unwanted.”
Vuelta has also taken a stake in France’s Pan (formerly called Pan-Europeenne), the well-established production and distribution banner headed by Nathalie Gastaldo, Philippe Godeau and Camille Gentet, whose credits include the hit franchises “Largo Winch” and “Legendaries.”
Vuelta bowed last year with more $100 million provided by a U.S. private equity firm and has now diversified its backing through its European partners.
Spearheaded by media finance veterans (and childhood friends) Jerome Levy and David Atlan-Jackson, Vuelta has bought Indiana Production, a leading Italian company founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, which had Giorgio Diritti’s “Lubo” playing in competition at Venice and just teased its big-budget Netflix series project “The Leopard” and Sky’s “Unwanted.”
Vuelta has also taken a stake in France’s Pan (formerly called Pan-Europeenne), the well-established production and distribution banner headed by Nathalie Gastaldo, Philippe Godeau and Camille Gentet, whose credits include the hit franchises “Largo Winch” and “Legendaries.”
Vuelta bowed last year with more $100 million provided by a U.S. private equity firm and has now diversified its backing through its European partners.
- 9/20/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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