HOLLYWOOD, CA, Apr 30, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Seven Arts Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: SAPX) ("Seven Arts") and Prodigy Pictures ("Prodigy") announced today that Seven Arts has executed an agreement with di Bonaventura Pictures for the services of Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Di Bonaventura and his producing partner, Mark Vahradian, along with Prodigy's Jay Firestone and Vincenzo Natali's partner, Steve Hoban, will produce the highly anticipated feature film "Neuromancer," which is based on the best selling novel of the same name by William Gibson. "Neuromancer" is to be directed by Vincenzo Natali.
During his tenure as a senior production executive at Warner Bros., Lorenzo di Bonaventura, among other accomplishments, discovered and shepherded the production of "The Matrix" and "Harry Potter" series of films. His production company, di Bonaventura Pictures, is currently based at Paramount Pictures and is responsible for producing the "Transformers" series of films, "G.I. Joe," "Salt," "Red," and the recently released "The Devil Inside" and "Man On A Ledge."
Natali's credits include "Splice," starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, as well as the cult psychological thriller "Cube." "Splice" was released in thousands of theaters nationwide by Warner Bros., following a sensational debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Published in 1984, "Neuromancer" was the first winner of the science fiction "triple crown," receiving the prestigious Nebula Award, Philip K. Dick Award and the Hugo Award. "Neuromancer" was also listed on Time magazine's list of 100 best English-language novels written since 1923. By 2007, William Gibson's archetypal cyberpunk novel had sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide.
"Neuromancer" will be produced as a UK-Canadian-Hungarian co-production by Neuromancer Productions UK Limited (an affiliate of Seven Arts and GFM Films LLP) in the UK, Pioneer Pictures KFT in Hungary and an affiliate of Prodigy in Canada. Shooting on the $60m budget feature is planned for later this year, with anticipated distribution ready for the autumn of 2013.
GFM Films LLP, Seven Arts' joint venture partner, and Jon Levin at CAA were both instrumental in securing the deal with di Bonaventura and his producing partner, Mark Vahradian.
Peter Hoffman, CEO of Seven Arts, commented, "Jay and I are thrilled that two of the most successful and talented producers in the industry have joined our most important project. Lorenzo and Mark will also join with Vincenzo Natali, our very talented director, in bringing to the screen the incredible vision of William Gibson."
Jay Firestone commented "Lorenzo and Mark bring a wealth of success and experience to this project. Having them on board solidifies a strong and creative team that is dedicated to producing the groundbreaking and thought provoking cult classic that is 'Neuromancer.'"
Guy Collins, Partner in GFM, commented, "It is a great plus for 'Neuromancer' that has been developed with such passion and commitment by Peter, Vincenzo and Jay to have Lorenzo and Mark taking the production helm. Their knowledge of this genre and success in production augurs well for the movie and all our distribution partners who have already joined the film."
