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MUMBAI:
The Walt Disney Studios and ESPN content development group
have come together to form ESPN Films, a new unit which will
develop scripted and documentary film projects for television
and theatrical release.
The
announcement was made by ESPN SVP content development and
enterprises Keith Clinkscales.
It
will also release 30/30 which is a celebration of the
last three decades of sports times with ESPN's 30th anniversary
in Septeber 2009.
For
the 30/30 initiative, ESPN will invite 30 filmmakers
to each tell a sports-themed story. The one-hour films will
begin airing Tuesday nights on ESPN in September 2009 and
be televised through 2010. The filmmaker roster will be announced
in the coming weeks and will include industry veterans as
well as celebrities who share a passion for sports.
In
the area of feature films, ESPN Films will work with The Walt
Disney Studios when exploring opportunities to develop, produce
and distribute sports-themed theatrical films.
Clinkscales
said, "We've spent the past several years testing the
waters for sports-themed films with positive results. ESPN
Films is the culmination of our efforts to get great content
in the hands of sports fans, and hopefully, spur the creation
of additional projects. With the guidance and partnership
of Disney, we can accomplish both of these goals efficiently."
"There's
drama in every encounter, as millions witnessed so vividly
during this year's Super Bowl. So, it's no surprise that sports
lend themselves especially well to the stories we tell on
the screen, in such hit films as The Mighty Ducks, Remember
the Titans and The Rookie. I'm thrilled that sports-themed
films will now have their own label at Disney and ESPN. We
believe this represents a big score for sports fans and moviegoers
alike," said The Walt Disney Studio chairman Dick Cook.
In 2008, ESPN and ESPN2 will televise up to 10 ESPN Films-branded
projects in primetime windows beginning with the two-part,
four-hour film Black Magic which will be aired on 16
- 17 March at 9 pm ET on ESPN. The film is about about the
experiences of players and coaches at Historically Black Colleges
and Universities from the civil rights era to present day.
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