Thursday January 10 01:08 AM EST
Gellar, Prinze, Weaver voices in 'N'Ever' land
By Zorianna Kit




LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sigourney Weaver will lend their voices to the animated comedy feature "Happily N'Ever After" for Vanguard Films' John H. Williams ("Shrek") and Berlin-based Greenlight Media.


The project, fully funded by Greenlight, is out to studios for a tentpole summer 2003 release. It will be the inaugural feature from Williams' partnership with Greenlight, which signed the producer to a multipicture production and development deal in June.


"N'Ever" is inspired by classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales and is based on Greenlight's European animated television series "SimsalaGrimm." Set in the fairy tale land of Simsala, the project explores what happens when the balance of good and evil is out of whack. Against this backdrop is an emotional love triangle among Ella (Gellar), her ideal prince and her unknown true love, who turns out to be Rick, the palace dishwasher (Prinze). Weaver plays the evil, sexy stepmother Frida.


Gerhard Hahn ("Asterix in Amerika") is directing the project from a script by Rob Moreland. Greenlight International, headquartered in Hilversum, the Netherlands, is handling worldwide sales for "N'Ever."


"This is a highly creative and entertaining project and a wonderful way for Greenlight Media and myself to start our relationship," Williams said. "Greenlight has already done a terrific job with the brothers Grimm fairy tales for television, and I'm looking forward to transferring these stories to the big screen with some of the same type of elements that made 'Shrek' a success."


Added Heath McLaughlin, president of U.S. operations at Greenlight Media: "The purpose of our relationship with John Williams and his Vanguard Films is to create exciting, high-concept family entertainment which can include animation, live action or both, to blend U.S. studio and distribution sensibilities with worldwide interest to create lasting international brands. This project is truly a global production and the first of what we hope will be a number of highly successful productions with John Williams."


"N'Ever" reunites real-life couple Prinze and Gellar, both of whom star in the upcoming Warner Bros. live-action feature "Scooby-Doo." The project also reunites Williams with Gellar; the actress is executive producing an animated TV series, "Scout," based on a Keith Graves children's book, which Vanguard is producing for the WB Network.


Williams, who has a first-look deal at DreamWorks, recently wrapped production on the studio's "The Tuxedo," starring Jackie Chan.


Gellar, Prinze and Williams are represented by Artists Management Group. Gellar is additionally repped by ICM. Weaver is repped by ICM and WMA. Greenlight Media is represented by Steve Saltzman and Steve Fayne of Akin Gump.

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