AUSTIN (TX), USA – Monday, June 24th 2024 – Arctic7, which provides a robust suite of full game and co-development services together with own intellectual property development within gaming, and transmedia and virtual production services for the movie and TV industry, has today announced it is working on David Ayer's groundbreaking series Lollipop. Arctic7 recently announced that it has entered into the definitive documents phase towards its acquisition by Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: GROM), a leading provider of family-friendly media and technology solutions.
Narwhal Studios, acquired by Arctic7 in 2023 and famed for its virtual production and VFX work on multiple Lucasfilm properties such as The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, has been heavily involved in Lollipop since early its design phases. The show, written and executive produced by Ayer (Fast and the Furious, Training Day, Fury, The Beekeeper) alongside Chris Long and their Cedar Park Studios, is a bold next-generation storytelling experience that will combine elements of episodic streaming, gaming and professional sports, and will invite audiences to actively participate in virtual racing linked to the plot. Feature, a pioneering entertainment and technology company, is the main studio behind the project, and Lollipop utilizes their Smart Content solution to power the interactive components of the series.
With its deep transmedia and Unreal Engine 5 expertise drawn from the gaming and film/TV background, Narwhal is working on virtual set design, as well as on the gaming and professional sports component of the series which is slated for release late in 2024.
In addition, Narwhal has announced it worked on the forthcoming and highly anticipated Megalopolis, which was recently picked up by Lionsgate for distribution this Fall. The latest film from visionary director Francis Ford Coppola recently debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. It is set in an imagined modern America following a devastating disaster, and features an ensemble cast including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne and Dustin Hoffman. Megalopolis is the first film Coppola, renowned for The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, has directed in more than a decade and will release in theatres in the US on September 27th.
Arctic7 Chief Production Officer Andrew MacLusky said: "Our vision for Arctic7 is to become a leader in transmedia entertainment. Thanks to Narwhal's successes in virtual production and VFX in film and TV, coupled with the game development expertise from across Arctic7's other studios, we're able to provide a unique perspective on the requirements for Lollipop and its next-generation storytelling.
"We're excited to start talking about this unique project as well as our work on Megalopolis – another truly visionary entertainment experience – and we'll be revealing more details about both in the coming months."
