Will Cybergeddon Change the Film Distribution Model?
Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator of the CSI franchise and his production company Dare to Pass, and Yahoo! have announced that casting and production will officially begin on the “Cybergeddon” project, a motion picture event which will bring to life the growing threat of cybercrime.
Written by Miles Chapman (“The Tomb”), “Cybergeddon” executive producers include Anthony E. Zuiker, Matthew Weinberg, President, Dare to Pass and Bill O’Dowd, CEO, Dolphin Digital Studios.
True to his storytelling form, Zuiker has engaged Norton by Symantec to leverage its security insights to help inform and guide the narrative. Progressive financier and distribution company Dolphin Digital Media backed the project in a deal brokered and packaged by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Yahoo! made this announcement Wednesday, March 21.
[ Also Read: Madonna Going Live with Jimmy Fallon on Facebook ]Yahoo! has been making strides in original programming by teaming up with world-class storytellers, starting with ‘Electric City,’ its first original scripted series announcement earlier this year and most recently the roll out of a new comedy slate.
“Remake America,” an original Yahoo! series in collaboration with independent production company Trium, aims to spark a national conversation among Yahoo!’s audience around the issues American families face every day. (Read: How to Remake America with Yahoo! News)
As Web-based entertainment shows are getting popular among consumers, Myspace has announced ‘Let’s Big Happy’, a new scripted web series from Fox Digital Entertainment. (Read: Myspace Goes Happy with Let’s Big Happy)
Also, the “Off Book” Web-only short films train a lens on artists working in alternative and often interactive media, as well as on the collective creative movements drawn together through the power of the Internet.
Created by New York-based production company Kornhaber Brown, the 13-part, bi-weekly series explores the ever-changing definition of art in the hands of the next generation of artists and their audiences. (Read: PBS Second Season of Arts Web Series Off Book)
And Viki, an international video site where TV shows and movies are translated into dozens of languages by a community of avid fans, has announced the worldwide premiere of Leiji Matsumoto’s OZMA, a new 6-part series by the Manga writer. (Read: Anime Series OZMA to be Released on Viki)
“‘Cybergeddon’ will be a motion picture event released through Yahoo!’s global online distribution. Instead of opening ‘wide’ at 5000 screens, ‘Cybergeddon’ has the potential to premiere on 50 million online screens all over the world at the same time. This global distribution model is the future of storytelling with unprecedented scale,” says creator Anthony E. Zuiker.
“Cybergeddon” will be launching globally, first on Yahoo! this Fall, as a series of installments to roll out sequentially. It will engage Yahoo!’s worldwide audience through an immersive storytelling, social media and gaming experience.
Photo courtesy: Yahoo!
