Tianjin North Film Group, has struck a string of pre-sales on its animation sequel "Legend of A Rabbit" and added a trio of new titles.

The group, which controls Rabbit's producer the Tianjin Film Studio, sold the now in production Rabbit 2: Mysterious City of Stones to Ozen Films for Turkey, Media International Pictures for Iran and the Middle East and to PT Cipta Mutu Entertainment for Indonesia. The big-budget stereoscopic 3-D title is a sequel to 2011 title Legend of A Rabbit and is described as another martial arts adventure in Yunnan, China, involving a magician who captures animal souls. Rabbit 2 will be completed in 2013.

Tianjin is now in advanced negotiations to license the first film to the US and has assembled an American voice cast including Michael Clarke Duncan, Claire Geare and YouTube sensation Rebecca Black.

Tianjin is this week introducing The Machinist, a futuristic action thriller, which the company claims as the most ambitious stop-motion animated film ever made in China. The film, which involves a human boy and a young cyborg who team up to save the world from the increasingly powerful machines, is designed by Ashley Wood, a celebrity Australian games designer (responsible for Metal Gear Solid). It is the second stop-motion film by Rabbit director Sun Liyun.

(Sun's first stop motion picture Bateelaer Saga was this week bought from Tianjin by Media International Pictures Iran and the Middle East.)

Leading Hong Kong-based production company 3A is also developing a series of toys and figurines for The Machinist, which will be completed in 2014.

Tianjin has also begun representing international sales on the Terence Chang backed Color Me Love, a romantic drama by Alexei Tan (Blood Brothers) set in the Beijing art and fashion scene. The film was completed in 2010, but until now has not been pitched outside China. Tianjin North was an investor in the Angel's Wings production.

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