Studio Canal, the film production company behind blockbusters such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Paddington, is launching a new label dedicated to sci-fi and horror. According to a report from Variety, the genre label will be responsible for the development, production and distribution of horror, thriller, sci fi and action films and TV series.
Well-known executive Jed Benedict has been hired by the studio to head up operations and will spearhead the editorial line in genre content. Benedict will be based in the UK and will report to Ron Halpern, the EVP of global production.
Benedict's "knowledge of content, his international network and his expertise in acquisitions, development and production make him the ideal profile to develop Studiocanal's genre content," said Studiocanal's CEO Anna Marsh. "This new label will increase our presence in the market which has many dedicated genre enthusiasts we want to cater for, and it comes with high ambition to announce projects under Jed's curation in the months ahead."
"I am so delighted to return to Studiocanal who have fully embraced the opportunity to create a destination for talented artists — established and new — with bold and daring visionary ambition," said Benedict.
"The new genre label allows us the freedom of working in the shadows where we believe the genre film experience can be the most visceral, collective, and cathartic of any type of cinema," said the executive, who pointed out the new label will focus on series and films "where storytellers need not run from the darkness."