|
|
|
|
Prince Named Official Racket of Movie |
IN FIRST-EVER MOVIE TIE-IN, PRINCE NAMED AN “OFFICIAL RACQUET” OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ SEPTEMBER RELEASE WIMBLEDON
In its first-ever movie tie-in, Prince Sports, Inc, a leading sports equipment brand, has partnered with Universal Pictures to promote its upcoming film, Wimbledon. Prince will be an “official racquet of Wimbledon, the movie” and will offer up a national on-line sweepstakes for a lucky consumer to win a trip for two to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. Slated to run from July through the film’s release on September 17, 2004, the sweepstakes will be featured on both the official Wimbledon movie Web site as well as on PrinceTennis.com. Prince will also promote the partnership through a comprehensive print and on-line advertising campaign along with an in-store POS campaign.
“We are thrilled to join Universal Pictures in the promotion of Wimbledon, the movie, having been involved with the project since 2003 when the producers approached us to supply a racquet for Kirsten Dunst’s character in the film,” said Bill Foy, president of Prince. “We are committed to increasing awareness of the sport of tennis, and this promotion will help accomplish that goal while also helping to raise the profiles of both Prince and Wimbledon.”
In the tradition of their hit romantic comedies Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’s Diary, Working Title Film’s Wimbledon is a sweet and funny tale of romance across the net. Peter (Paul Bettany) is an unlucky guy, scoring “love” both professionally and personally. Seeded near the bottom of the world tennis ranks, he manages to score a wild card, allowing him to play in the prestigious Wimbledon tournament. There, he meets and falls in love with American tennis star Lizzie (Kirsten Dunst). Fueled by a mixture of his newfound luck, love and on-court prowess, Peter works his way up the ranks of the tournament players and actually stands a chance of fulfilling his lifelong dream of winning the men’s singles title—if his luck can just hold out.
“We feel the partnership between Prince and Wimbledon, the movie, represents an ideal venture for both, as Prince provides an element of tennis heritage to the film, and Wimbledon will serve as a major avenue to showcase the fun and competitiveness of the sport,” continued Foy. “Prince is a classic sporting goods brand committed to developing the industry’s leading technology, and, as evidenced by Prince star Maria Sharapova’s dominating performance that earned her the women’s singles championship at the recent 2004 Wimbledon tournament, the brand is synonymous with both Wimbledon and the sport of tennis.”
With Australian Wimbledon champion Pat Cash serving as tennis advisor on the film, Wimbledon was granted unprecedented access by The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTCC) to film during this year’s championships, one of the sports world’s most prestigious and watched events.
Filming locations include Wimbledon, Shepperton Studios and London, with Sam Neill, Jon Favreau, Bernard Hill, Eleanor Bron, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Austin Nichols also in the cast.
Wimbledon is directed by Richard Loncraine (Richard III) and produced by Working Titles’ Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Mary Richards, and executive produced by Liza Chasin, Debra Hayward and David Livingstone. The film is written by Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin and Adam Brooks (French Kiss). |
|
|
|
