Last week in a THR exclusive, it was announced that an animated adaptation The Life of Our Lord, a little-known short story by Charles Dickens depicting the life and times of Jesus Christ, was in the works from Mofac Animation. Titled King of Kings, this faith-based movie is in its final stages of production and seeking a potential distributor.
Official press release below:
Mofac Animation Inc., South Korea’s most decorated visual effects studio, proudly announces its first-ever full-length animated movie: The King of Kings, an animated family film inspired by a little-known short story by Charles Dickens depicting the life and times of Jesus Christ.
The faith-based movie is in its final stages of production at Mofac Animation, as well as in performance recordings from the United Kingdom to the Hawaiian Islands – and numerous locations in between. The ever-growing, A-list cast will be announced at a future date. Mofac Animation is currently seeking potential distributors.
In the film, Charles Dickens finds trouble balancing his writing and performing with the parenting of his children – particularly his youngest son, Walter. Charles discovers the perfect bonding element via the sharing of his short story The Life of Our Lord – the reading of which would become an annual tradition in the Dickens’ family Christmas celebration. Master storyteller Charles and his imaginative son Walter find common ground within the entrancing story of Jesus, his well-known trials and tribulations, and his notable colleagues and foes – with animation allowing the Dickens pair (and the family cat Willa) to become intrinsically immersed in the ancient tale. The result is an animated film that makes the biblical journey easily relatable, readily understood and captivatingly entertaining for families and, especially, to children of all ages.
The King of Kings is the labor of love for director and co-writer Seong-ho “Jay” Jang, one of the most respected filmmakers in Korea and an unparalleled pioneer in the visual effects realm. His 100+ credits across the past three decades include Grand Bell Awards Best Film honoree Joint Security Area, Starz’s popular Spartacus television series, Cannes Film Festival entry The Taste of Money, the Clive Owen/Morgan Freeman starrer Last Knights, and the fantasy adventure comedy sequel Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, which shattered several Chinese opening weekend box office records.
The film is co-written by Jang and Rob Edwards, best known for scripting Disney’s animated feature films The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet, as well as episodic contributions to popular television series like In Living Color, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World and Full House. Edwards recently completed an adaptation of The Great Escape for Academy Award-nominated director/producer Reggie Hudlin (Django Unchained) and a feature film adaptation of the popular video game series Call of Duty for Academy Award-nominated producer Stacey Sher (Pulp Fiction, Erin Brockovich) at Activision Productions.
The King of Kings features an all-star lineup of international production talent, including BAFTA-winning cinematographer Woo-Hyung Kim (Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or nominee The Taste of Money), much sought-after composer Tae-seong Kim (all-time Korean box office record-holder Roaring Currents), and Emmy Award-winning dialogue & casting director Jamie Thomason (Spirited Away, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Tigger Movie), who also serves as an executive producer alongside veteran filmmaking aficionados Andrew Mann (Imperium, Outcast). Anfernee Kim (Last Knights, John Woo’s The Crossing 2) is the film’s producer.
“For the past 2000-plus years, the story of Jesus has been told and re-told in countless ways across virtually every country on the planet,” explains Jang. “This is a deeply personal story to all of us on the production crew, and we know it resonates with so many around the world. The added joy of this little-known iteration is that you see the story unfold not only from Charles Dickens’ unique literary perspective, but through his son Walter’s eyes – which ultimately provides young viewers with even greater access and understanding of who Jesus was and all that he represents.”
The King of Kings represents an obvious opportunity for superior filmmaking and significant box office success. “The universal story of Jesus Chris transcends all cultures, creating an automatic entry in theaters across the global marketplace,” explains producer Anfernee Kim. “More than 2.5 billion Christians across the planet enthusiastically embrace faith-based entertainment, and that demand expands with a presentation in the form of an engaging, inspirational, appropriately fun yet obviously heartfelt, high-quality animated film that the entire family can enjoy.”
Mofac Animation is actively seeking a distribution partner who will provide the most advantageous match to effectively reach the film’s multi-tiered fanbase that captures fan of faith-based films, animated faire and general entertainment. “Obviously, this is a universally appealing story to a wide audience, and we look forward to partnering with the appropriate entity for maximum distribution,” Anfernee Kim added.
For more information, please visit the film’s website at www.kingofkingsanimation.com.
