Oriental DreamWorks To Adapt The Tibet Code

The Hollywood Reporter says that DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has announced plans for Oriental DreamWorks to adapt the immensely popular Chinese book series, The Tibet Code, with a view towards turning it into a franchise.

The series follows "the adventures a two men on the hunt for Buddhist treasures," so DreamWorks will presumably be hoping to evoke Indiana Jones comparisons; the books themselves have been several times compared to the Harry Potter series. The project is to be a collaboration between Oriental DreamWorks, China Film Group and The National Film Fund of China. The commercial potential of the films is huge, particularly so in China, with Katzenberg stating "Tibet Code has all the makings of a world-class, quality, blockbuster franchise."

Oriental DreamWorks is the animation powerhouse's Beijing-based satellite studio, which is currently working on Kung Fu Panda 3. Writing for Tibet Code is set to begin shortly.

Related news: Exciting New Additions to Kung Fu Panda 3 Voice Cast

Brave to be Dedicated to Steve Jobs

The Wall Street Journal's blog Speakeasy tells us that "One of the most emotional moments in the coming Pixar computer-animated film “Brave” happens during the end credits."

The reason for the emotional end-credits is that they sport a tribute to former Pixar owner and longtime friend and mentor of the studio, former Apple CEO, the late Steve Jobs. Jobs bought into the company in 1986, where he financed a spin-off of the Lucasfilm Graphics Group on 3rd February, to be called Pixar. Jobs mentored the studio and its financial well being until Disney purchased it for $7.4 billion in 2006, where he became the largest individual shareholder in the world's largest media conglomerate.

Alas, Jobs passed away, at the age of 56, on 5th October last year, after losing a battle to pancreatic cancer. Brave will be the first Pixar films since Jobs' passing and the first to pay tribute to him.

It's a fitting and very respectful tribute.

Via The Huffington Post.