French Sci-Fi Feature ‘Mars Express’ Picked Up By GKIDS, Theatrical Release Coming In 2024
GKIDS has secured North American distribution rights to Jérémie Périn’s sci-fi feature Mars Express and will release the film theatrically in 2024.
Mars Express is one of the most highly anticipated features to come out of Europe this year. The film screened at both Cannes and Annecy over the summer and had its U.S. premiere at last week’s Animation is Film festival in Los Angeles.
Ahead of its Cannes debut, we shared a clip from the film and some of Périn’s thoughts about Mars Express, mixing drama and comedy, and the storytelling opportunities inherent to the sci-fi genre.
Film details:
- Mars Express is Périn’s feature debut. His previous credits include producing and directing several series, including CO2, Nini Patalo, and Socks. He also wrote and directed the popular Lastman series, based on the comic of the same name.
- Périn co-wrote the Mars Express screenplay with Laurent Sarfati. It’s produced by Everybody on Deck, EV.L Prod, Plume Finance, and France 3 Cinéma.
- GKIDS’s synopsis reads: “In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet’s capital city, where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threatens to change the face of the universe.”
- GKIDS president David Jesteadt said in a release: “Mars Express is a film we have been excited about for years since we saw the very first footage. This is a timely and provocative story set in one of the greatest animated sci-fi worlds I’ve seen, and we are thrilled to help bring it to North American audiences.”
- The distributor will release two versions of the film, one in its native French with English subtitles and one English-language dub.
