Vancouver-based comic book publisher and animation studio Arcana has announced a pact with China’s Yisang Media.
The first project produced through the pairing is 3D animated feature, Pandy. Arcana and Yisang’s Los Angeles-Beijing Studios (LABS) have already started production on the film.
The announcement was made on Sunday at Comic-Con in San Diego. The exact details and duration of the partnership have not yet been announced.
Pandy will be released in China via state-owned company China Film Group Corporation. No details have been announced about the film’s rollout in territories outside China.
Pandy features aliens and pandas and is inspired by Platinum Studios’ comic Cowboys and Aliens, which Arcana president Sean Patrick O’Reilly served as a consultant on. The comic was turned into a feature film of the same name in 2011, starring Daniel Craig.
In addition, it was announced on Sunday that LABS is in discussions with Arcana to acquire its H.P. Lovecraft trilogy for Chinese release. The first film in the trilogy, Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, was acquired by U.S. distributor Shout! Factory in October 2015, with Arcana recently completing work on the film ahead of its October release. The animated film stars Ron Perlman, Christopher Plummer and Jane Curtin.
Shout! later acquired the rights to the second and third installments of the film as well. Arcana is currently in pre-production on the second film in the trilogy.