Shout! Studios, the multi-platform entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, has acquired North American rights to THE MAGIC FLUTE from Flute Film. Directed by Florian Sigl, the epic fantasy adventure is a modern reimagining of Mozart’s popular classic and boasts an all-star cast including Jack Wolfe (Shadow and Bone, The Witcher), Oscar®-winner F. Murray Abraham (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Amadeus), Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Barbarians), Stéfi Celma (Call My Agent, Lost Bullet), Asha Banks (Royal Shakespeare Company), Stefan Konarske (Das Boot, Valerian), Niamh McCormack (The Witcher, Who We Love), Amir Wilson (The Secret Garden, The Letter for the King), and Tedros Teclebrhan (System Crasher, Bad Banks). International and renowned opera stars, such as French soprano Sabine Devieilhe (Opéra National de Paris), Mexican-French tenor Rolando Villazón, and U.S. bass Morris Robinson (Metropolitan Opera, New York) are among the ensemble cast.
The Magic Flute is directed by Florian Sigl, who has a background in classical music. Producers of the film are Christopher Zwickler of Flute Film and Fabian Wolfart. Executive producer is Roland Emmerich through his production company, Centropolis Entertainment. Timm Oberwelland, Theodor Gringel, Peter Eiff and Tobias Alexander Seiffert of Tobis Film and Quinta Media’s Stefan Konarske, who also is part of the cast, are co-producing. Casting was done by Sophie Holland Casting.
Shout! Studios has secured exclusive distribution rights in North America to THE MAGIC FLUTE, including theatrical and home entertainment rights (digital, video-on-demand, broadcast, and packaged media) for cross-platform releases. Shout plans a strategic launch of this movie across all platforms, beginning with a theatrical launch.
“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's masterpiece The Magic Flute has always been my favorite opera ever since I experienced this magical story as a young adult. I was immediately drawn to the concept of cinematically reimagining this story when the filmmaking team approached me with their idea, which I was thrilled to champion. The entire team brought their fantastic vision to the screen in an exciting and innovative way. I look forward to Shout! Studios bringing this epic journey to audiences to once again be enchanted by the universally acclaimed and world-famous music,” says Executive Producer Roland Emmerich.
“The Magic Flute is a bold, magical adventure and a new take on the classic story we all know and love. This stunning film delivers a vibrant, captivating cinematic journeyand is sure to win the hearts and minds of movie fans. We look forward to building a broad audience across all major distribution platforms,” stated Melissa Boag, Executive Vice President of Family Entertainment at Shout! Studios.
“Florian’s international debut feature is an extraordinarily deft blend of fantasy, adventure, drama, comedy, romance and, of course, music. This immensely entertaining film is family viewing at its absolute best, because there really is something for everyone to connect to and enjoy,” stated Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions at Shout! Studios.
The movie deal was negotiated by Diane Ferrandez of AGC Studios for Flute Films and the filmmakers, and Shout’s Jordan Fields and Steven Katz, Vice President of Business Affairs.
The highly anticipated THE MAGIC FLUTE was a hot Cannes market title with lots of buzz and interest from buyers. Sales Outlet Sola Media handles sales for the rest of the world and has sold multiple territories on the recent Film Market in Cannes.
THE MAGIC FLUTE | Synopsis
The screen adaptation is set in present-day Europe and tells the story of 17-year-old Tim Walker, who is sent from London to the Austrian alps to start his singing scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway into the magical world of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
The production is supported by national and regional funders from Germany and Austria, among them FFF Bayern, Bayerischer Bankenfonds, Hessenfilm, MFG Filmförderung, Filmförderung des Landes Salzburg, the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and Filmstandort Austria (FISA).