China-based Bona Film in talks with 4 Hollywood studios

China-based Bona Film in talks with 4 Hollywood studios

Dong Yu

MUMBAI: Chinese film distributor Bona Film Group Ltd. is in talks with four Hollywood studios for co-producing movies for international distribution.

"We hope to work with the larger studio houses ... and we‘re having discussions with several," Bona Film Group CEO Dong Yu has reportedly said. The studios that Bona is talking to include Universal Pictures, Sony Corp., Twentieth Century Fox and Viacom Inc.‘s Paramount Pictures.

If the talks materialise, the plans would represent an acceleration of Chinese-US film co-productions, which have typically been made on a one-off basis. Some of the studios in mention have entered joint ventures or co-productions with Chinese companies in recent months. Walt Disney Co., for instance, had partnered with China‘s DMG Entertainment to co-produce the next "Iron Man" film in China in April.

Last month, News Corp. had declared that it had bought a roughly 20 per cent stake in Bona but the deal didn‘t include any production agreement with Fox. Yu said that he would like to work with Fox as a "preferred partner" but Bona would be free to make deals with other studios.