Pyro Studios Offshoot Signs New Line Animation Deal

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Ilion Animation Studio's current CG film project, Planet 51, has been picked up by New Line Studios for a major worldwide release - and has gained a video game tie-in currently in development by Spanish studio Pyro Studios, whose founders established Ilion in 2002. Planet 51 is a "reverse alien invasion" comedy, wherein the little green aliens of Planet 51 fear space invasion. The arrival of a human astronaut on the planet unleashes panic. The game based on the film will reportedly roll out across "the five leading console platforms." Pyro Studios is best known for the nearly decade-long Commandos franchise, and began Ilion with the aim of focusing on theatrical animation. The animation studio is a subsidiary of European tech and entertainment conglomerate Supreme Entertainment. The film and the game are both expected to release in 2009, and mobile phone marketing and development company LaNetro Zed, owned by Supreme Entertainment, is also involved to craft cellphone versions of film content.