Dark Horse, U strike prod'n, distrib deal

Oregon-based comics and movie house Dark Horse has signed a three-year production and distribution pact with Universal. The crux of the deal is this, from the press release:

Under the terms of the deal, Universal would have creative access to all Dark Horse characters and properties, as well as any material that Dark Horse might acquire on its own and want to develop as a motion picture. In addition, Dark Horse would have the opportunity to distribute movies through Universal.

Universal is distributing Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" this July; the original pic was distribbed by Columbia.

The strength of Dark Horse is it's far less reliant on superheroes than DC and Marvel. In addition to "Hellboy," DH is the home of Frank Miller's "Sin City" and "300," as well as "The Mask" and such distinctive creator-owned titles as "Grendel," "Usagi Yojimbo," "The Goon" and "Concrete."