APPLESEED: EX MACHINA Comes to America

: 05 September 2008

Theatrical Premiere in December, Region 1 DVDs Scheduled for March Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., Jules Verne Adventure Films Festival Official US Site: Appleseed Ex Machina DVD Official Japanese Site: APPLESEED SAGA: EX MACHINA In 2004, director Shinji Aramaki and the production company Digital Frontiers Inc. created APPLESEED (Appurushido), a CG animated feature film based on the popular manga of the same name by reknowned creator Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell). APPLESEED was a box office success in Japan, and a top-selling DVD in the US the following year. Now Shinji Aramaki and Digital Frontiers have reunited with Micott & Basara, Lion Rock Production and Axis Entertainment for the sequel APPLESEED: EX MACHINA (Appurushido Ex Machina). The new film is produced by the legendary Hong Kong film director John Woo (HARD BOILED, THE KILLER), who also supervised the story and action sequences. APPLESEED: EX MACHINA is being distributed in Japan by Toei Co., Ltd and opened in theaters there on October 20. Warner Bros. has acquired rights to the film outside Japan. Beginning next month the movie will have a handful of screenings in the United States, with the Region 1 DVD release scheduled for March 11, 2008.

APPLESEED: EX MACHINA SYNOPSIS Following the non-nuclear war that killed half the world’s population, the city-nation of Olympus stands as a beacon of hope in a world of chaos and conflict. The utopian metropolis in governed by Gaia, a vast artificial intelligence, and administered by genetically engineered humanoids known as Bioroids, whose designer DNA suppresses strong emotions. With Bioroids being half of its population, peace and order are easily maintained.

Deunan Knute, a young female warrior, and Briareos Hecatonchires, a veteran cyborg-soldier, are both partners and lovers. As members of ES.W.A.T the elite special forces serving Olympus, they are deployed wherever trouble strikes. The two fighters find their partnership tested in a new way by the arrival of a new member to their rank - an experimental Bioroid named Tereus. Created by Gaia using DNA from Briareos, Tereus uncannily resembles Briareos before the wartime injuries that led to his becoming a cyborg. Not only does this trouble Deunan, but Briareos’s DNA give Tereus more than just top-notch fighting skills. This battle-ready Bioroid is like Briareos in another way: he has strong romantic feelings for Deunan! As the same time, Olympus finds itself under a stealth attack by a mysterious cabal of scientists intent on imposing their own version of world peace upon the people of the world. Cyborg terrorism, deadly nanotech, fanatical zealots, and rioting citizens are just some of the threats that Deunan must contend with as she fight to save Olympus, and save mankind from plunging into a new kind of hell. US RELEASE A special "Gala Screening" for APPLESEED: EX MACHINA was held October 26 at the Hawaii International Film Festival. The US premiere screening will take place in Los Angeles at the Jules Verne Adventure Films Festival on Saturday, December 15 at 2:00pm. The APPLESEED: EX MACHINA premiere will be held at the ornate Los Angeles Theatre, 615 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014. Director Shinji Aramaki and screenwriter Kiyoto Takeuchi will attend the event. Warner Bros. will release APPLESEED: EX MACHINA in a variety of DVD formats. The single disc Standard Edition has a suggested retail price of $24.98. The 2-Disc Steelbook Limited Collector`s Edition comes with an audio commentary by the filmmakers, a profile on the collaboration between John Woo and Shinji Aramaki, and a look at the CG technology used to create the film. The Limited Collector`s Edition comes packaged in a metal case and has a SRP of $34.98. APPLESEED: EX MACHINA will also be released on HD and Blu-Ray for $34.99 each. All versions feature the 105 minute-long movie in the original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, enhanced for 16x9 TVs.