Halo-8 Ent. picked up worldwide distribution rights to Xombie: The Animated Series at the American Film Market (AFM). Created by James Farr, the animated zombie adventure began as a web series that has garnered more than 13 million downloads. Halo-8 plans to give it a limited theatrical release in early 2009, before releasing it in DVD.
Employing Flash animation, Xombie follows the adventures of Dirge, a dead man who fights his posthumous cravings and legions of the living dead to reunite a lost child with her family. The property was made into a comic book and graphic novel by Devil’s Due Publishing, as well as a top-selling, self-published illustrated novel. In addition, Epic Level Ent. is developing a live-action Xombie movie for a major studio.
‘Xombie is my attempt to inject something new and fun into an often over-mined genre,’ says Farr. ‘I am thrilled it has gotten such a huge response and that the characters have endured so long. Dirge and his friends are very close to my heart, and thanks to Halo-8, I get to share them with a brand new audience.’
Formed in 2006 to expand and manage the Xombie property, Xombie Inc. is managed through Epic Level Ent. (www.epiclevel.com), an ientertainment company with development and production expertise in film, television, internet media and games. Halo-8 will work with Xombie Inc. on additional Xombie animated media. Other animated features in development at Halo-8 include in-house adaptations of the Halo-8 comic books Godkiller and How I Lost My Virginity by Alexandra Jones.
