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Constantin Film is a German-based film production studio. Founded in 1950 in post-war West Germany, the studio was brought back from bankruptcy in 1979 by Bernd Eichinger and went on to produce popular films from the domestically released Der Untergang to the internationally released The Neverending Story. In practice, Constantin produces its own mid-budget films and TV shows, largely for domestic production, and works with larger studios when producing licensed material.
Constantin and Resident Evil[]
Constantin's most notable early foray into mainstream licensing is its deal with Marvel Comics for film rights to the Fantastic Four comic series. Made entirely in-house with a $1 million budget, the film's 1994 premier was cancelled, resulting in speculation the marketing campaign and filming was an elaborate hoax to keep the rights, or otherwise that Marvel had paid the studio not to release it. Regardless, its next attempt at a Fantastic Four movie, released in 2005, had production outsourced to 1492 Pictures.
In late 1996, Constantin was successful in its pursuit of film rights to Resident Evil from Capcom, with producer Robert Kulzer placed in charge, with Eichinger's intention being to produce a hit action film. Kulzer would credit the popularity of The Neverending Story in Japan with their successful offer.[1] Over the next two years however the film languished in pre-production, with writers Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero being removed from the project, the latter of whom became openly critical of Eichinger's opposition to having gore in his films. Having failed to find a suitable replacement in 1999, the project was undergoing discussions on being cancelled. This changed when British writer Paul W.S. Anderson offered to sell them a script to a zombie action film he called "The Undead" and, noting its limits on gore, was purchased and put into production as the Resident Evil film. The film was made with a $33 million budget, and filmed inside a mansion and an unfinished train station. Most effects were done practically with CG enhancements, including the Licker monster.
Following the success of the film at the box office, making $103 million, Constantin was quickly able to negotiate with Sony Pictures to outsource financing and production of future sequels. Consequently, when Resident Evil: Apocalypse was greenlit in mid-2002, it produced primarily with Screen Gems film and its collaboration partners, Samuel Hadida's Davis Films and Jeremy Bolt's Impact Pictures. With a higher budget of $45 million, production was centred in and around Toronto to take advantage of Canada's tax incentives for filming there. Real streets and bridges were used in filming, as well as two schools and the city hall, with the most expensive set being a full-sized church that was constructed on a sound stage. The film was made during an outbreak of SARS coronavirus, though was not delayed.
Future plans[]
Constantin Film is presently working on various projects which producer Oliver Berben has said it says is going at "full steam".[2]
Sources[]
- ↑ Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), DVD Commentary 1.
- ↑ AFM: Constantin Film Bosses on Disruption, Streamer Strategies and the Future of ‘Resident Evil’. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2022-11-02.