Sony acquires Angry Birds film rights, to premiere worldwide in 2016

Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced it has won the exclusive international distribution rights to the Angry Birds animated feature film.

The movie will premiere worldwide July 1st, 2016, according to the company.

Angry Birds developer Rovio will develop, produce and finance the film; while producers John Cohen and David Maisel have both signed on for the film.

Cohen produced animated feature Despicable Me, and Maisel previously served as a chairman of Marvel Studios as well as producer for Iron Man.

"Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate," said Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal in a combined statement.

"There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table. We’re thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to work on future projects together."

Rovio has already dabbled in entertainment tie-ins for its insanely popular mobile games, with the studio launching an online cartoon series in March based on the franchise.