Studio Galazio Banner Launches With Focus on Greek Stories, Sets Heist Comedy With Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Improbable Media (EXCLUSIVE)
Studio Galazio and filmmaker Christopher André Marks (“King Otto”) have announced the launch of a new production banner focused on bringing internationally minded stories with Greek themes to global audiences.
The label’s first film will be an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style heist comedy set in Greece, with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on board to produce his first scripted feature film. Plot details and international cast are being kept under wraps, but production is slated to begin this year.
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The untitled film will be written and directed by Marks alongside a team of veteran international producers including Shani Hinton (“The Stones and Brian Jones”), Raphaël Benoliel (“Emily in Paris”), Adam B. Stern (“Blue Jasmine”) and Erika Aronson (“Blue Jasmine”).
Galazio’s initial slate also includes a prestige limited drama series and an untitled biopic on an influential Greek figure, all currently in development with high-profile talent attached.
Building on the success of Netflix’s first Greek original series, “Maestro in Blue,” and the many high-profile international productions that have recently shot in the sun-splashed Mediterranean country, such as Rian Johnson’s Netflix blockbuster “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed “The Lost Daughter,” Galazio will produce a slate of Greek-themed films and television series positioned for wide-scale international distribution via a network of partnerships.
“We are excited to shine additional light and join the wave of momentum Greek cinema has generated internationally, not only as a high-value shooting location for domestic and foreign productions, but also as a fertile ground for original storytelling that transcends well beyond its borders,” said Studio Galazio CEO Christopher André Marks.
Marks has worked with HBO and ESPN Films and is the co-producer and director of “King Otto,” a documentary that follows the improbable path of the 2004 Greek national soccer team. Led by German coach “King” Otto Rehhagel, the team went from never winning a single tournament match to claiming victory at that year’s European Championship. The film was released theatrically and on streaming platforms in over 70 territories, making it one of the widest-distributed independent Greek films of all time.
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