ZOMBIE BROTHER Launches At STX, Tencent And Tatum’s Free Association

While it’s still nice to know that actor Channing Tatum is still circling Gambit for 20th Century Fox, the word now from the online trades insist he’s partaking in a new producing venture at Free Association with fellows Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan.

According to a new announcement on Wednesday this week, Zombie Brother is now in the works in co-productions partnership with Robert Simonds’ STX Entertainment and Tencent’s film and TV shingle, Tencent Pictures. Cast and crew details remain pending while Deadline – by way of Variety, highlights Matt Lieberman was previously attached to pen the script for David Sandberg who is currently taking off with the Kung Fury feature sequel, Kung Fury 2: The Movie.

The film’s casting call and film description reads as follows: Zombie Brother is a genre-bender — a big adventure-comedy with a splash of sci-fi and a good dose of horror, all with the self-referential tones of “21 Jump Street” and “Deadpool.” Set 5 minutes in the future, the film follows a crew of tech-obsessed homebodies who become humanity’s unlikeliest saviors in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. 

Zombie Brother is reportedly Tencent’s top title in digital comics and animation, garnering more than 17 billion views over 348 episodes since 2011, as well as 3.7 million views for its two-season animated series. Its franchise extends to a mobile game and a sellout hit stage play.

“Since its inception, STX Entertainment has been committed to producing, marketing and distributing universally resonant content across all platforms, with a particular focus on bridging the U.S. and Chinese markets,” said Adam Fogelson, Chairman of STXfilms, a division of STX Entertainment. “As an early investor in STX, Tencent has been a strong strategic partner and we’re honored to be collaborators in bringing its most valuable IP to new audiences around the world. With Tencent Pictures’ awesome ecosystem of entertainment channels and Free Association’s creative acumen, we think there is no end to the storytelling opportunities of this franchise.” 

“We are thrilled to be joining forces with STX Entertainment on one of Tencent  Animation and Comics’ excellent properties, ‘Zombie Brother.’ It has been an incredible pleasure to explore new possibilities with STX. Teamed alongside our gifted producers at Free Association, we look forward to bringing ‘Zombie Brother’ as a uniquely fun and fresh film for the enjoyment of audiences everywhere,” said Edward Cheng, Vice President of Tencent and CEO of Tencent  Pictures. 

“We’ve long been inspired by STX’s commitment to high quality storytelling that authentically speaks to audiences on both sides of the Pacific. We couldn’t imagine better partners as we continue to work with Edward, Howard and the wonderful Tencent team on this beloved property. It’s a pleasure to welcome them to the ‘Zombie Brother’ party,” said Peter Kiernan of Free Association.

STXfilms will distribute the film domestically and Tencent Pictures in China. Tatum, Carolin and Kiernan are joined by Michael Parets at Free Association, along with producers Edward Cheng, Howard Chen, and Conor Zorn at Tencent Pictures. STXfilms’ Chairman Adam Fogelson and head of production Sam Brown will oversee the film for the studio.