Press release from TOKYOPOP
Sydney-based international sales and production entity Odin's Eye announced today a partnership with Tokyo- and Los Angeles-based media company TOKYOPOP to produce a feature film adaptation of TOKYOPOP's successful manga graphic novel series The Dreaming.
Written by Sydney native Queenie Chan, suspense thriller The Dreaming has been published worldwide in 17 languages. The feature will be adapted for the screen by Brisbane-based writing team Shayne Armstrong and Shane Krause. Producers Stu Levy (Priest, Van Von Hunter) and Michael Favelle (Crush, Three Blind Mice) have brought on Los Angeles- and Sydney-based Kate Woods (Looking for Alibrandi, Bones, Without a Trace) to direct.
The haunting, gripping tale's themes of isolation and atonement resonate with its teenage audience and also provide insight into the fascinating Aboriginal culture in Australia. When teenage students begin disappearing at an all-girls boarding school in the Australian wilderness, twin students Jeanie and Amber set out to unravel a 100-year-old mystery.
Levy said, "The Australian bush is a rich setting for spooky stories, and The Dreaming takes the environment to a deeper level, one in which exists the very fabric of human existence, first postulated by Australia's indigenous people thousands of years ago." Favelle added, "Our intention is to craft a supernatural thriller carried by the psychological mood of the piece, much like The Shining did a generation ago."
Emphasis will be placed on the stylization and production design of the stereoscopic 3D cinematography while keeping focus on the characters. Woods explained, "The Dreaming is a contemporary take on a classic tale and an opportunity to push the boundaries of this genre." Levy added, "We're excited to partner with Kate — her ability to capture a character's voice is top-notch, which will elevate The Dreaming far beyond the level of a typical suspense genre film."
Screen New South Wales is providing the first phase of development finance, and production funding will come from a mix of Australia's producer's offset, private equity, and pre-sales. Production is planned for 2011, working towards a late 2012 release.