M8 Entertainment Inc. (TSX: MEE.MV.A and MEE.SV.B), a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films, announced today that Lions Gate Home Entertainment has acquired all North American rights for M8 Entertainment's horror-comedy film Santa's Slay.
Santa's Slay is an action infused horror-comedy that casts everyone's favorite holiday figure, Santa, in an entirely new and comedically sinister light. WWE wrestling star Bill Goldberg (The Longest Yard) plays the devilish Santa Claus, who rather than being the harmless old fellow we know, is in fact a devil in disguise. The film also stars Emilie De Ravin (Lost) and Douglas Smith (Sleepover) as local teens who must try to stop the rampaging Santa. Santa's Slay is written and directed by David Steiman, and is a co-production by M8 Entertainment and Brett Ratner and his company, Rat Entertainment. The film is produced by Brett Ratner, Sammy Lee, Matthew Leonetti Jr., and Douglas Steeden. Joann Perritano, Andrew Pfeffer, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid, and Stewart Hall served as executive producers on the film.
Following an exclusive fall 2005 premiere on cable channel Spike TV, Lions Gate Home Entertainment will release Santa's Slay on DVD in North America for the Christmas 2005 holiday season.
Lions Gate is the premier independent producer and distributor of motion picture, television, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library is one of the largest in the entertainment industry. The Lions Gate brand name is synonymous with original, daring, quality product in markets around the globe.
M8's most recent release is The Upside of Anger, a dramatic comedy written and directed by Mike Binder and starring Academy Award winner Kevin Costner and Academy Award nominee Joan Allen. Released in North America by New Line Cinema in March of this year, The Upside of Anger garnered very favorable critical reviews and performed strongly at the box office, grossing over $18.6 million in North America to date. New Line released the film on DVD on July 26, 2005.
M8 Entertainment is principally engaged in the acquisition, financing, production and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films in a variety of genres. Previous M8 Entertainment releases include the critically acclaimed drama Monster, starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci, and for which Charlize Theron won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Actress. Following Monster's success, M8 Entertainment is nearing completion on a number of feature films, including Running Scared, an action movie written and directed by Wayne Kramer, and starring Paul Walker. Running Scared will be theatrically released in North America by New Line Cinema. M8 is also nearing completion on Lovewrecked, a charming teen comedy starring Amanda Bynes (What A Girl Wants) and directed by Randal Kleiser (Grease, Honey I Blew Up the Kid). Post production is also nearing completion on Media 8's Man About Town, a dramatic comedy set in the world of Hollywood super-agents, which is written and directed by Mike Binder, and stars Ben Affleck and Rebecca Romijn. |
