Source: mPRm Public Relations press release Official Site (Hong Kong): WarlordsTheMovie Special Thanks to Clay Dollarhide
The Wagner/Cuban Companies` Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s historical action epic, THE WARLORDS. Boasting an all-star cast, including Jet Li, Andy Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS) and Takeshi Kaneshiro (RETURNER, K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK), THE WARLORDS was a huge critical and commercial hit in China, winning eight Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Director for Chan and Best Actor for Li. Depicting the same historical events that were the basis for the Shaw Brothers classic BLOOD BROTHERS, THE WARLORDS is set in the midst of war and political upheaval during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s. Jet Li stars as General Pang, who after a surviving a massacre of his fellow soldiers by playing dead, joins a band of bandits led by Er Hu (Andy Lau) and Wu Yang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). After fighting back attackers from an helpless village, the three men take an oath to become “blood brothers,” pledging loyalty to one another until death, but things quickly turn sour and the three men become embroiled in a web of political deceit, and a love triangle between Pang, Er Hu and a beautiful courtesan (Wu Jing-Lei). “I was very impressed by WARLORDS,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles . “It’s very well made and has a Hong Kong action film dream cast. We’re excited to be bringing it to North American audiences.” "I am delighted to find a home for WARLORDS with Magnolia", said Andre Morgan from Talentaid. The deal was negotiated by Magnolia’s Senior Vice President Tom Quinn and Head of Business Affairs Chris Matson, with Andre Morgan and Ricky Tse from Media Asia. Magnolia plans to release the film late this summer.
About Magnet Releasing
Magnet is the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, specializing in films from the vanguard of horror, action, comedy and Asian cinema, and is home to such films as LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, the most critically acclaimed foreign film of 2008, Nacho Vigalondo’s time travel masterpiece, TIMECRIMES, sci-fi epic MUTANT CHRONICLES, the highly anticipated ONG BAK 2, Hitoshi Matsumoto`s mockumentary BIG MAN JAPAN, and Nicholas Winding Refn’s upcoming BRONSON. Recent acquisitions include DISTRICT 13 – ULTIMATUM and John Woo’s historical epic, RED CLIFF. Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also include the Landmark Theatres chain, the production company 2929 Productions, and high-definition cable networks HDNet and HDNet Movies.
About Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also include the Landmark Theatres chain, the production company 2929 Productions, and high definition cable networks HDNet and HDNet Movies. Magnolia`s 2008 slate included such critically acclaimed films as James Marsh`s MAN ON WIRE and Tomas Alfredson`s LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Magnolia`s 2009 slate includes James Gray`s TWO LOVERS, THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD starring John Malkovich, Guillermo Arriaga`s THE BURNING PLAIN, documentary and festival favorite FOOD, INC with Michael Pollen and Eric Schlosser, Steven Soderbergh`s THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, Kirby Dick`s OUTRAGE, Anne Fontaine`s THE GIRL FROM MONACO, Erick Zonca`s JULIA, Lynn Shelton `s HUMPDAY, Bobcat Goldthwait’s WORLD`S GREATEST DAD, THE ANSWER MAN starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham, Conor McPherson’s THE ECLIPSE and much more.