Platinum Studios and Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures Married to Top Cow's 'Magdalena'

Platinum Studios and Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures Married to Top Cow's 'Magdalena'

Writer Attached for the First Religious-Themed Comic Book Character to Be Translated to Film

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Producers Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios, an entertainment company that controls the world's largest independent library of comic book characters, and Gale Anne Hurd, founder of Valhalla Motion Pictures and producer of "The Terminator" and this year's upcoming "Aeon Flux," announced today that they are developing Top Cow's spiritually themed comic book character "Magdalena" as a feature film. Kevin Taft, who recently signed a writing deal for New Line Cinema's "Alone," has been tapped to pen the script.

"Magdalena" is about a young woman named Patience who discovers that she is part of a lineage of female warriors descended from Mary Magdalene. Patience must accept her destiny in time to save the world from a supernatural evil. The film's present-day action-adventure storyline draws on elements of biblical history, reminiscent of "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown.

"'Magdalena' is exactly the kind of project we love: a strong female lead character, a story with rich mythology, and compelling characters," said Hurd. "The religious overtone adds a new dimension to the adventure story, while Kevin Taft's terrific storyline still deals with realistic, contemporary issues in an entertaining and relatable way."

"Magdalena" is the first religious-themed comic book character to be translated to film. The character has been translated into 26 languages in 55 countries and has appeared in millions of comic books worldwide.

"'Magdalena' is one of the most popular characters from the Top Cow library we have been introducing to the industry. The character, which is already available also as toys, has tremendous potential to cross over onto online, interactive games and other merchandising," said Rosenberg, adding, "Platinum Studios is very excited to be working with Gale and Valhalla on this project, because Gale has always excelled at presenting strong female characters, from 'Aeon Flux' back to 'Terminator,' which was not only a seminal action movie, but also a compelling female-empowerment story," said Rosenberg, who is currently working with Hurd to produce "Atlantis Rising" as a tentpole, following up on his past success in bringing the "Men In Black" franchise to the big screen.

Comic creator and Top Cow Productions CEO, Marc Silvestri ("Witchblade," "Darkness") will also executive produce. "The need for faith in any form is what 'Magdalena' is about," said Silvestri. "Patience's journey is, ultimately, about having faith in something -- God, a loved one, or the human condition and the need to believe in something that is greater than ourselves."

Platinum Studios signed a pact with Top Cow in 2004 to develop Top Cow's comic library for film, television, and other media. Platinum Studios and Top Cow's comic books are set up at most of the major studios, including "Cowboys and Aliens" at Sony, "Unique" at Disney, "Mal Chance" at Miramax, "The Darkness" at Dimension, "Wanted" at Universal, "Inferno" at Warner Brothers, "Rising Stars" at MGM and "Fathom" at Fox, as well as a multi-picture pact with financier Gold Circle.

The picture's development will be overseen for Rosenberg and Hurd by Valhalla's Executive Vice President Gary Ventimiglia and VP of Production and Development Steve Emery, and Platinum Studios' Director of Development Aaron Severson and Director of Production Jay Burns. Top Cow Productions' President Matt Hawkins will co-produce.

Writer Kevin Taft is repped by Brian Dreyfuss of Kohner Agency and managed by Todd Sharp of Bedlam Media.

About Valhalla Motion Pictures

Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures most recently produced the upcoming "Aeon Flux" with Lakeshore and MTV Films for Paramount Pictures. The film stars Academy Award winner Charlize Theron and was directed by Karyn Kusama. Hurd has produced more than two-dozen feature films that have generated billions of dollars in revenue and earned Oscar nominations and scores of awards. Hurd produced "The Hulk" in association with Marvel Studios President Avi Arad, James Schamus and Larry Franco. She was executive producer of "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," the third in her "Terminator" trilogy based on characters created by Hurd and James Cameron. Other credits include "The Punisher," "Aliens," "The Abyss," "The Ghost and the Darkness," and the mega-hits "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Armageddon."

About Platinum Studios (www.platinumstudios.com)

Platinum Studios is an entertainment company that controls the world's largest independent library of comic book characters, which it adapts and produces for film, television and all other media. Platinum Studio's library contains more than 2,500 characters and a full range of genres and styles that have appeared in hundreds of millions of comics worldwide. Platinum Studios has acquired the exclusive rights to develop Top Cow's extensive library of comic book characters as well as Europe's largest creator-owned comic book syndicate, Hexagon Comics, for film and television.

About Top Cow (www.topcow.com)

Top Cow was founded in December of 1992 and currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and 2 licensed) in the industry's Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise Witchblade was TNT's #1 original film of 2000. Virtually all of Top Cow's other properties are in development as feature films, live action television or animation. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and role playing games.

Source: Platinum Studios; Valhalla Motion Pictures

CONTACT: Jordan Fischler of Allison & Partners, +1-212-302-5460, ext. 7, Jordan@allisonpr.com, for Platinum Studios and Valhalla Motion Pictures

Web site: http://www.topcow.com/

Web site: http://www.platinumstudios.com/

------- Profile: Ent