From computer screen to the big screen

From...

May 12, 2000
Web posted at: 9:24 a.m. EDT (1324 GMT)

by Laura Rich

(IDG) -- Undercover Brother, an animated blaxploitation series featured on UrbanEntertainment.com, was picked up by Imagine Entertainment for at least $1 million to be turned into a movie possibly starring Chris Tucker.

The deal was brokered by Endeavor, the talent agency that represents Undercover writer John Ridley, who penned the screenplays for "Three Kings" and "U-Turn," as well as the novels Stray Dogs and Love Is a Racket.

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE

IDG.net home page

The Standard.com

TechInformer: The Thinking Internaut's Guide to the Tech Industry

Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net

E-BusinessWorld

Industry Standard email newsletters

Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you

Industry Standard daily Media Grok

Search IDG.net in 12 languages

News Radio

Fusion audio primers

Computerworld Minute

Ridley's deal marks the first of its kind in online entertainment. Web entertainment companies like Icebox and Shockwave.com have expressed hope that the shows and characters they create will see bigger-dollar futures by getting optioned to TV and movie producers. However, that business model remains untested. Icebox has stated explicitly that it intends to earn revenues from off-line creations based on Icebox shows, and it has signed star names like Seinfeld creator Larry David to this end.

UrbanEntertainment this week proved that the concept of parlaying Web content into feature films at least has potential.

Although Hollywood agents have been surfing the Web for years in search of characters and shows to represent and leverage into other media, UrbanEntertainment's deal is the largest and swiftest to date.

Ridley signed on with UrbanEntertainment parent Urban Media earlier this year and debuted the first of a 10-episode series on March 21. He will write Undercover Brother and be its executive producer.

Urban Media, run by CEO Michael Jenkinson, a former film-production VP at Fox, will coproduce the movie with Imagine Entertainment, allowing Urban to retain significant ownership of the film along with its proceeds.

Undercover Brother follows the adventures of a present-day action hero whose style and attitude are rooted in the 1970s blaxploitation genre. UrbanEntertainment focuses on black films and animated series, and the company recently signed Ben Ramsay, who wrote the screenplay for "The Big Hit." Ramsay's series, Pookie Poo, will debut soon on UrbanEntertainment.com.

Imagine Entertainment is part-owner of Web-entertainment venture Pop.com, which has yet to launch. So far, Pop has announced that it will accept films from the public in a "film festival," and the company is said to be seeking writers and stars for an online comedy series.

First direct-to-Internet movie fails to impress
May 9, 2000
New gadgets offer high-tech entertainment
April 24, 2000
Multimedia broadcast system launches in Africa
February 1, 2000
Managing the flow of streaming media
August 6, 1999
Coming to a local Government site near you: Live video
July 12, 1999
Surfing Silicon Valley: Web-spawned TV takes off
May 13, 1999
Interactive content and multimedia could transform the Net
April 15, 1999

Next: 'Love Bug,' the Movie?
(PCWorld.com)
Atom Films and IFilm go beyond the PC
(The Industry Standard)
Tons of short movies online
(PCWorld.com)
Filmmaking sites ready for their close-up
(The Industry Standard)
Can the Web improve Oscar night?
(PCWorld.com)
AMC, Hollywood.com in ticket deal
(The Industry Standard)
Dot-com dominance at Sundance
(The Industry Standard)

Urban Entertainment
Shockwave.com
Icebox.com

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.