Germany’s Tobis Film Boards Roland Emmerich’s ‘Magic Flute’ (EXCLUSIVE)
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Berlin-based Tobis Film has boarded the Roland Emmerich-produced “The Magic Flute,” an English-language, live-action feature film based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s beloved opera.
Tobis will handle distribution in German-speaking territories and also co-produce the project with Emmerich and his Centropolis Entertainment, Christopher Zwickler of Flute Film and Fabian Wolfart.
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Directed by Florian Sigl, “The Magic Flute” is set in modern-day Europe and follows 17-year-old Tim Walker as he travels from London to the Austrian Alps to attend the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a centuries-old forgotten passageway into the fantastic world of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
“Tobis Film is one of the most successful and established distribution and production houses in Germany and we are thrilled to welcome them as our partner on ‘The Magic Flute,’” Emmerich said. “Thanks to their great marketing expertise and a highly motivated team I’m very confident this movie will find a broad audience in the German-speaking territories.”
Regional funder Hessenfilm recently approved €350,000 ($385,000) in production support for the film, which will be mainly used for the film’s visual effects. International VFX powerhouse Pixomondo will be handling visual effects and character animation for the production via its Frankfurt division.
Pixomondo has worked on some of Emmerich’s biggest films, including his recent World War II actioner “Midway” as well as “2012” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
“I have had a strong relationship with Pixomondo for over a decade,” Emmerich added. “Now thanks to the support of Hessenfilm, the filmmakers on the movie can work together with one of the world’s leading VFX companies.”
The project, currently in pre-production, is set to shoot later this year in Bavaria and Morocco, with a worldwide release planned for 2022.
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