The Shadow King
| The Shadow King | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Henry Selick |
| Produced by | Josh Penn |
| Written by | Henry Selick |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Bruno Coulais |
| Cinematography | Peter Sorg |
| Edited by | Wyatt Jones |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | K5 International |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Shadow King is an upcoming stop-motion animated 3D dark fantasy thriller film written and directed by Henry Selick. Initially, The Walt Disney Company made plans to release the project, but eventually backed out of the deal, after spending a reported $50 million on it,[1] leaving Selick to proceed without Disney, but with a plot and voice cast.[2]
Synopsis
The Shadow King is a deliciously magical tale about nine-year-old New York orphan Hap who hides his fantastically weird hands with long fingers from a cruel world. But when a living shadow girl teaches him to make amazing hand shadows that come to life, his hands become incredible weapons in a shadow war against a ravenous monster bent on killing Hap’s brother Richard and ultimately destroying New York.— Press release by Henry Selick, as cited.[3]
Cast and characters
- Pamela Adlon as Richard[4]
- Brendan Gleeson as Darce[4]
- Jeffrey Tambor as Cuzzie Bell[4]
- Catherine O’Hara as Miss Fern[4]
- Jaden Betts as Hap[4]
Production
Pre-production
After the success of his stop motion film Coraline, director Selick was brought into Pixar and given a four-picture deal.[5] He wrote his own script for a story about a young orphan in New York City who has hands with unusually long fingers which the child hides from others. When the child is taught how to make "amazing hand shadows that come to life", they become his weapons in a shadow war against a monster intent on killing the child's brother and ultimately, New York as well. The film began pre-production in 2011,[6] with an expected release date of October 2013.[7]
Setbacks
After spending a reported $50 million, and due to unspecified concerns over future costs and benefits, The Walt Disney Company declined the project in August 2012,[7][8] allowing Selick to shop the project to other studios.[6] In February 2013, it was reported in a press release by Selick that K5 International would be handling sales at the European Film Market.[3] It is unknown when the film will actually be released; but, given the original intent to release the film for Halloween in October[7] and the general macabre content of Henry Selick's films, it is likely that it will be released in October of whatever year it does end up being released. As of August 2015, there is little to no update regarding the film's production.
References
- ↑ "Selick’s ‘Shadow King’ Finds New Life". Animation Magazine. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- ↑ "Henry Selick’s The Shadow King proceeding without Disney, but with a plot and voice cast". A.V. Club. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- 1 2 Goldberg, Matt (February 5, 2013). "Henry Selick’s THE SHADOW KING Finally Moves Forward; Plot Synopsis Revealed". Collider.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Han, Angie (5 February 2013). "First Look at Henry Selick’s ‘The Shadow King;’ Voice Cast Includes Brendan Gleeson and Jeffrey Tambor". Slash film. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- ↑ LeBlanc, Will (April 1, 2010). "Henry Selick Bringing Stop-Motion Back To Disney". Cinemablend. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- 1 2 staff (February 4, 2013). "Henry Selick revives ‘Shadow King’: Josh Penn produces stop-motion project". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Bettinger, Brendan (August 14, 2012). "Disney Cancels Production on Henry Selick’s Untitled Stop-Motion Movie". Collider.com.
- ↑ Fritz, Ben (September 13, 2012). "Disney takes $50 million write-down on canceled animation project". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
External links
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