Hands up anyone who is at all surprised that Magnet Releasing has picked up U.S. right for Banlieu 13 Ultimatum (aka District 13 Ultimatum)? It was to be expected mostly as they handled the first District 13 film.
Not much else to say, really. Good on you, guys!
Press announcement and trailers and clips after the break!
New York/Cannes - May 16, 2009 - The Wagner/Cuban Companies' Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to D13 - ULTIMATUM, the highly anticipated sequel to 2004's action cult classic D-13, also released by Magnet. Written and produced by Luc Besson (who co-produced and co-wrote the first film), D-13 ULTIMATUM is directed by Patrick Alessandrin, and features David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli reprising their jaw-dropping performances as Leito and Damien from the first film.
ULTIMATUM picks up where D-13 left off, with the death of a powerful gang lord leaving a power vacuum in the chaotic and crime ravaged District 13. As five rival gangs compete to seize power, Damien (Raffaelli) and Leito (Belle) attempt to restore order before the Paris secret police takes drastic measures and wipes the district off the map. Like the original film, D13 - ULTIMATUM is a stunning showcase for unrivaled action and "parkour," the gravity defying martial art pioneered by star David Belle.
"It just doesn't get any better than this for action fans. Stars David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli continue to astonish in this adrenaline-packed sequel." said Tom Quinn, SVP of Magnet. "We're thrilled to be distributing this one-of-a-kind franchise from Luc Besson and Europacorp."
The deal was negotiated by Magnet's Senior Vice President Tom Quinn and Head of Business Affairs Chris Matson, with Pascal Degove of Europacorp.
Magnet is planning a theatrical release fall of 2009.
Video
Magnet Strikes Again with Hit Action Sequel - DISTRICT 13 ULTIMATUM (aka BANLIEU 13 ULTIMATUM)
''Like the original film, D13 - ULTIMATUM is a stunning showcase for unrivaled action and “parkour,” the gravity defying martial art pioneered by star David Belle.''
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought parkour is an entirely different animal to martial arts. If anything, parkour should be compare to gymnastic than martial arts. The similarity with martial arts and parkour is that both is a physical discipline and both share some philosophical aspect but both have different purposes - Fight or flight. Another misconception is that some assume parkour is an extreme sports. Not true. There are no concept of rules, regulations are competition. Its not solely an exhibition or a performing art either, its an art with an useful application as originally intended by the co-founder David Belle. There is a controversial dispute on its meaning between David and the other co-founder, Sebastien Foucan, who later split off to create his own version of the discipline known as Free Running. While David stress efficiency to get to point A to point B, Sebastien's way is that there is no destination but complete freedom of movement and embraces elements of tricking for aesthetics pleasing style of moving.
Anyways, excuse me for going off a tangent there. Its good to hear this movie is getting a US release.
To continue the lesson about parkour: It has a lot of similarities with Method Naturelle, which is a form of training based on natural movement, like running, crawling, lifting, swimming and so on. Parkour has also adapted the motto "Etre et durer" (spelling?) of Method Naturelle, which translates into "To be and to last".
Parkour uses the urban or natural enviroment as a obstacle course to overcome as fast and efficent as possible, while Method Naturelle uses the natural environment as it's training facility.
Also: parkour emphasizes training for training sake. Very few traceurs (practitioners) advocate any form of organized or serious competition. It's perfectly alright to compete a little, as long as it's mostly for fun.
Al has the right idea about the difference between Parkour and Free Running though.
Simplified you might say that parkour = effectiveness, while Free Running = expression. Free Running focuses more on the acrobatics, they're the heart of it, you might say. Of course they also want effective moves and tricks, but the purpose isn't to get somewhere, or train to get somewhere, as much as the trick or the movement itself.
That's also why it's considered 2 different, although similar form of training. The purpose of it is the essential difference.
About the martial arts bit: Form what I've understood Belle and a few of the first traceurs thought it was best to refer to parkour as a form of martial arts. It can be used as a form of self-defense after all, and to call it an extreme sport seems misleading, since there are no competitions, no showing off, and an emphasis on minimizing risks.
I could go on and on, but that'd get tedious. So instead I'll recommend watching "Project Pilgrimage" instead. A documentary about parkour, by traceurs. It's really good, and it's under a Creative Commons, so you can get it from Piratebay, watch it on google video, or whatever you might fancy.
so is this more Parkour or Free Running in these films?