Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Platinum Studios Inc. have announced that principal photography has wrapped in New Orleans, Louisiana, on their gothic thriller, Dead of Night. The film, which is also a presentation of the Omnilab Media Group, is based on the world’s best-selling horror comic series, “Dylan Dog,” created by Tiziano Sclavi and published by Italy’s Sergio Bonelli Editore. The comic book series has sold over 56 million units in 17 languages since its debut in 1986.
Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) stars as reluctant paranormal investigator Dylan Dog, who finds himself in a “turf war” between and among the undead, and Sam Huntington who co-stars as Marcus, Dylan’s wise-cracking trusted assistant. Also co-starring are Taye Diggs (TV’s “Private Practice”) as Vargas, head of the Vampire family, Anita Briem (Journey to the Center of the Earth) as Elizabeth, another potential in the long line of Dylan conquests and Peter Stormare (Constantine), as Wolfgang, the head of the werewolf family.
The film is directed by Kevin Munroe, whose 2007 re-imagining of TMNT resurrected the billion dollar franchise and is written by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly (Sahara and Conan the Barbarian).
“Dylan Dog is a character that brilliantly mixes charisma, affability, and hard-driven principles,” said Munroe. “I couldn’t be happier with Brandon’s portrayal — he meshed all of those aspects into a charming action hero, funny as he was ass-kicking. I can’t wait to share his work with the world.”
Platinum Studios chairman and CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who brought the billion dollar “Men in Black” franchise to Sony, and Hyde Parks’ Amritraj are producing with Gilbert Adler (Valkyrie, Superman Returns and Constantine). Executive Producers include Omnilab Media’s Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street and David Whealy, Cinemarket’s Peter Graves, The Greenberg Group’s Randy Greenberg, who brought all of the parties together, Hyde Park’s Patrick Aiello, Kevin Munroe, Lars Sylvest and Film Production Capital LLC’s Will French and Stephen Roberts. Platinum Studios’ Brian Altounian and Rich Marincic are co-producing along with Hyde Park’s Manu Gargi.
Hyde Park and Platinum Studios completed the financing for the picture with Omnilab Media, and Hong Kong-based Standard Chartered Bank. Omnilab Media will play a key role in securing and/or overseeing North American distribution for the picture as it recently has for The Bank Job, W, and The Messenger.
Platinum Studios’ film and TV division is developing Cowboys & Aliens with producers Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Kurtzman/Orci (the writing team behind the “Transformers” franchise and the resurrected “Star Trek” franchise). In addition, Platinum is developing with “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman, Unique at Walt Disney Pictures, Witchblade with Wanted executive producer Marc Silvestri, Top Cow Productions, Inc. and Arclight Films, Atlantis Rising with DreamWorks, Kurtzman/Orci and director Len Wiseman (Underworld and Live Free or Die Hard), and an untitled project at Sony Pictures Animation.
Locations for Dead of Night included the Saenger Theatre, Lafayette Cemetery, Canal Street in the French Quarter, the Buckner Mansion and Latter Memorial Library in the Garden District, the Beaux Mart, the Andry Street Wharf, Audubon Park and the Louisiana Film Studios.
The film is currently in post-production in Burbank, California with Academy Award-winning editor Paul Hirsch (Star Wars, Footloose,
