Village Roadshow sets up shingle in China

BEIJING -- Village Roadshow is the latest international shingle to enter the booming China market with the launch of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Asia, a platform for Chinese film production and distribution. The company's slate is headed by romantic comedy "My Lucky Star," which will be produced by and star Chinese thesp Zhang Ziyi. VREG Asia and Dadi Media will jointly finance and co-produce the picture, which will be helmed by Dennie Gordon. The slate also includes Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West," a version of the "Monkey King" story. Chow will helm, produce and write "Journey," while Bingo Group, VREG Asia and Edko Films are jointly financing and co-producing. VREG Asia's topper will be former Warner Bros. China exec Ellen Eliasoph, who has 25 years' experience in the region, with Ming "Beaver" Kwei as executive veep of development and production, and Lizhi Chen as veep of marketing and distribution. "Having worked with China's filmmakers and film companies for many years in a joint effort to develop the film market, I am gratified to witness China's growing emergence as a major player in the global film industry, and delighted to be a part of it," said Eliasoph, who managed Warner Bros.' participation in "Turn Left, Turn Right," "The Painted Veil" and "Crazy Stone." "VREG Asia will propel this trend forward by working closely with China's filmmakers, helping them tell their stories, and working to bring their films to an ever-widening audience around the world." VREG Asia has also formed strategic overseas alliances with the leading Australian visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic, Cimarron Group, an entertainment marketing group with offices in Beijing and Los Angeles, and the market research and marketing information company Screen Engine. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com