Warner Premiere Pacts With Dark Castle

(June 18, 2007 – Burbank, CA) – Following the unprecedented partnership Dark Castle Entertainment formed last year with Warner Bros. Pictures to finance and produce fifteen feature films, the studio’s new direct-to-consumer division, Warner Premiere, and Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment announced a multi-year deal to enter the emerging made-for-DVD and Digital marketplace. Dark Castle will produce two to three films a year under this new agreement. The movies will span multiple genres—from horror to action films to thrillers—and will feature a variety of innovative bonus content and groundbreaking interactive technologies that will immerse audiences in the movie experience like never before. “One of Warner Premiere’s missions is to work with the best filmmakers and highest caliber of talent to elevate the type of product being made. We couldn’t be luckier to have the opportunity to jump into this business with Joel Silver as a partner,” said Warner Premiere president Diane Nelson. “No one knows how to develop, produce or market to this audience better than Joel.” Taking advantage of the burgeoning direct-to-DVD market, which has grown nearly thirty percent in just the last few years, Warner Premiere’s direct-to-consumer approach offers a unique way to extend franchises and increase profit. Dark Castle Home Entertainment product will encompass not only prequels and sequels to existing films, but also completely original titles that fall within the Dark Castle brand. “We are continually looking for fresh and edgy ideas for our films and for our fans to experience,” said Silver. “Partnering with Warner Premiere allows us to expand on our brand and work with new and up and coming directors, as well as tell stories and show the audience things that we simply can’t do in a theatrical release.” The first title coming from this new arrangement will be the October release of “Return to House on Haunted Hill,” a follow up to Dark Castle’s 1999 number one box office hit. This sequel brings the audience back to the terrifying Hill House, and the High Definition-DVD formats will introduce the groundbreaking “Navigational Cinema” technology that gives viewers a chance to interact with the movie and make choices that affect the outcome of the film. Other upcoming titles from Dark Castle Home Entertainment include the supernatural thriller “Widow Whisps,” psychological suspense tale “Odds,” which is executive produced by JC Spink and Chris Bender, and “Cheerleaders in Trouble,” an homage to the fun slasher flicks of the 80s. # # #