Angry Birds Film 2016: Sony to Work With 'Iron Man' and 'Despicable Me' Producer (VIDEO)
From application to film creation, a new version of Angry Birds will be released in July 2016- but this time in theaters.
The creator of the popular smart phone game, Rovio, has announced a joint relationship with Sony Entertainment Pictures to develop a film revolving around "Angry Birds." A bid to gain film rights for the game's characters has been going on for weeks. It was announced Friday that the Finnish game maker would be going forward with Sony for a July 2016 release.
"Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture," Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment, said in a statement according to GeekyGadgets.com.
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With over 1.7 billion downloads, "Angry Birds" has become one of the most popular games of all time despite its seemingly simple concept. Different sequels and spinoffs of the game have also been introduced, including "Angry Birds in Space" and "Bad Piggies." The company also recently introduced "Angry Bird Toons," which drew over 150 million views within its first week.
Sony said in a statement that it was looking forward to building a relationship with Rovio.
"Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate. There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table," Michael Lynton, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Amy Pascal, Co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment said. "We're thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to work on future projects together."
"Iron Man" producer David Maisel and "Despicable Me" producer John Cohen will both take on the project, sources told Fox News.
