Legendary Digital’s Zombie Movie ‘Dead Rising’ Lures ‘Leprechaun: Origins’ Director (Exclusive)

Spielberg discovery Zach Lipovsky will direct the 90-minute project, which Crackle will distribute in the U.S.

images“Leprechaun: Origins” filmmaker Zach Lipovsky has closed a deal to direct the zombie survival movie “Dead Rising” for Legendary Entertainment, Crackle and executive producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, TheWrap has learned.

“Dead Rising” is based on the Capcom property and will mark the first release from Legendary Digital Media.

Sony’s Crackle will give the 90-minute feature an exclusive digital release in the U.S. before the film receives a multi-platform release on SVOD, VOD, DVD and TV, while Content Media Corp. (“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn”) will distribute both feature-length and episodic formats on international platforms.

Also read: Spielberg Discovery Zach Lipovsky to Direct ‘Leprechaun’ Reboot (Exclusive)

Set during an epic zombie outbreak that a mandatory government vaccine failed to stop, “Dead Rising” debuted on the Xbox 360 console in 2006 and has since spawned a video game franchise that has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide.

Tim Carter wrote the script and will produce with Tomas Harlan via their Contradiction Films banner, which also produced Machinima’s successful digital series “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.” Di Bonaventura, who’s among those responsible for the blockbuster “Transformers” franchise, will serve as an executive producer on the project.

Legendary Digital Media’s former president of content and distribution, Tom Lesinski, previously said that “Dead Rising’s” “built-in fan base and rich characters and plot lines are ideal for digital storytelling,” and that “Crackle and Content are adept at distributing cutting-edge digital content.”

Also read: Fantastic Fest: CBS Films May Have a Sleeper Hit in Low-Budget Horror Movie ‘Afflicted’

Lipovsky is a visual effects veteran who was discovered as a contestant on Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett‘s short-lived reality series “On the Lot,” which saw 16 aspiring filmmakers compete for a development deal with DreamWorks.

He went on to direct “Leprechaun: Origins” for Lionsgate and WWE Studios, which recently decided to give the film a limited theatrical release this weekend after the horror reboot went over well with genre fans at San Diego Comic-Con. “Leprechaun: Origins” will be released on VOD on Aug. 26 before it arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 30.

As a producer, Lipovsky was also among the creative forces behind “Afflicted,” a low-budget horror movie that earned good reviews when CBS Films released the film earlier this year.

Lipovsky is represented by Verve, IAM Entertainment and Myman Greenspan.

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