Good news for the millions of Angry Birds fans out there.
20th Century Fox struck a deal to bring the domesticated macaw and other feathered characters from its upcoming big-screen animated film, "Rio," to one of the most popular mobile game applications for the small screen, Angry Birds.
The Finnish creators of Angry Birds will release a version of the game -- Angry Birds Rio -- to coincide with the film's March 22 world premiere in Rio. The movie opens in theaters April 15.
On Friday, Fox Filmed Entertainment co-Chairman Jim Gianopulos announced the partnership with game developer Rovio in a press event on the Fox studio lot in Century City under a tent with giant beach balls and a lot of optimism. The studio also screened 26 minutes of footage, introduced by director Carlos Saldanha and voice stars Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and George Lopez.
Fox hopes to tap into the pop-culture phenomenon that is Angry Birds (downloaded some 75 million times and still counting) to build awareness for its latest animated project from Blue Sky Studios, creators of the "Ice Age" blockbusters.
Rovio, meanwhile, gets to introduce a new version of the game (using Blue Sky's intellectual property), and capitalize on the marketing blitz that is planned for the theatrical release.
Looks like a win-win for both companies, not that they needed any help selling their content and products. Get ready to be invaded by Angrey Birds.