New historical miniseries Marco Polo was the first production to be based at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios. Launched via online platform Netflix, the ten-part drama was inspired by the story of the famous 13th century explorer.
Reservoir Productions of Kuala Lumpur used a specialist motion-control camera in western Malaysia to film a spot for the energy company Petronas. Shot to mark Malaysia’s Raya holiday, the ad celebrates family and tradition by following a young girl as she grows up in her village home.
A former Warner Bros executive has made a major deal with a Shanghai media conglomerate that could result in more US-China co-productions. Jeff Robinov oversaw Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy for Warner Bros and his new Studio 8 venture has partnered with Fosun International Ltd.
Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios (PIMS) has officially opened for filming in Johor, Malaysia. The new GBP100 million facility spans 50 acres near Singapore and offers world-class film and TV stages, as well as office space, post-production resources and a 30-acre forest back lot.
A sequel to the 2007 action movie videogame adaptation Hitman will film partly on location in Singapore. Agent 47 will star Homeland actor Rupert Friend as the eponymous sharply-tailored assassin who sports a distinctive barcode on the back of his head.
The UK and China have signed a new co-production treaty. Co-productions filming in the UK will have access to the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Fund and the UK's formal filming incentive programme, while co-productions in China will bypass the annual quota on international releases.
New Pictures is to film the period miniseries Indian Summers on location in Penang, Malaysia, which will double for early-1930s northern India. The production will be set in Simla, a “little England” at the foot of the Himalayas, and the story will chart the decline of the British Empire in India.
Paramount Pictures has partnered with China Film Group for a feature film based on the life of the 13th Century traveller Marco Polo. The news comes days after China Film Group’s announcement that it will be co-producing Warcraft and Seventh Son with Legendary Pictures.