Tencent's online games are accounting for a smaller share of its overall revenue, giving way to online advertising and mobile payments. (Photo : IMG)
Tencent, the world's fifth largest Internet company, will collaborate with Glori Entertainment and Base-FX in the production of a big-budget TV series, "Fog Zone," according to an exclusive from the Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood Reporter.
"Fog Zone," rumored to be a psychological thriller set in contemporary China much in the mold of CBS's "Under the Dome," will reportedly be produced by Tencent through Tencent Video jointly with Frank Hui of Glori Entertainment, and Chris Bremble and Conor Zorn of Base-FX.
Regarding the joint production venture, Tencent Video general manager Jeff Han told the Hollywood Reporter: "The team here at Tencent is thrilled to embark on this revolutionary series, which will be the most ambitious VFX production in Chinese television to date."
Base-FX is Asia's leading VFX studio and it has more than 20 U.S. theatrical film credits including "G.I. Joe Retaliation," "Identity Thief," "Olympus Has Fallen," "Looper," "Mission Impossible 4" and "Super 8." It has a strategic alliance with Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and has been tapped to work on the three upcoming installments of the "Star Wars" franchise. Base-FX won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2010 for HBO's "The Pacific" and in 2011 for "Boardwalk Empire in the same channel.
Han also revealed that production on "Fog Zone" will be starting in March or April, and the first installment may coming out in late August. The show will reportedly comprise of eight episodes and each episode will air for 45 minutes.
Tencent through Tencent Video has also announced that it has partnered with HBO in the exclusive distribution of the premium American cable and satellite TV network's programs in China, which include "Game of Thrones," "True Detective," "Boardwalk Empire," "The Newsroom," "Rome" and "Band of Brothers."
Regarding the deal, Tencent's Online Media Group president Sy Lau said: "HBO's award-winning drama series and movies have built up fantastic viewer enthusiasm in China. Bringing this content to a wide audience in an attractive on-demand format will further differentiate our market-leading online video service."
