'10 Lives:' Animated Feature Starring Zayn Malik, Bill Nighy & Simone Ashley Lands Chinese Distribution Deal

EXCLUSIVE: Taost Entertainment, a London-based media production startup, has picked up Chinese distribution rights to the star-studded animated feature. Taost acquired the rights to the pic, which features an expansive voice cast, including Zayn Malik, Simone Ashley, Mo Gilligan, Sophie Okonedo, Bill Nighy, and Jeremy Swift from the Chinese-based outfit Original Force. In addition to picking up 10 Lives, the startup is building a Web 3 platform that allows members to post, browse, vote, and engage with animation projects. Directed by Chris Jenkins, producers on 10 Lives are Guy Collins and Sean Feeney for 10 Lives Productions, alongside Martin Metz and Adrian Politowski for film production and financing company Align, Yann Zenou for Quad, Valérie d'Auteuil and André Rouleau for Caramel Films, and Louis-Philippe Vermette for The Happy Producers. The animation studio is L'Atelier Animation in Montreal. Best known for pics such as Paws of Fury and Duck Duck Goose, GFM Animation is a UK-based animation producer, financier, and sales agent. Rocky Shi, President and CEO of Taost, said: "We are thrilled to have secured the Chinese distribution rights to our film '10 Lives.' China is a massive market for animation, and securing distribution rights here will allow us to reach a wider audience and build strong partnerships in the region."