January 23^rd, 2006 (6:56pm) - THQ today announced the company’s exclusive worldwide rights to develop and publish video games based on the forthcoming teen spy movie Stormbreaker. Following award-winning author Anthony Horowitz’s series of best-selling Alex Rider books, the movie has attracted top acting talent, including Mickey Rourke, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo, Robbie Coltrane and Ewan McGregor. The video games, developed by Altron for Nintendo DS and Razorback Developments for Game Boy Advance, are scheduled for a simultaneous worldwide launch with the movie in Summer 2006.

"Alex Rider has a huge worldwide following, having sold over nine million books to date," said Jennifer Wyatt-Ambler, senior global brand manager, THQ Inc. "We are excited to work with Anthony Horowitz and Samuelson Productions to bring the Alex Rider movie franchise to a whole new fan base with an exhilarating, action-packed game."

"Our decision to work with THQ to bring the Stormbreaker video game to market was based on the company’s vast expertise with leading global licenses," stated Peter Samuelson, who produces the film with his partner, brother Marc Samuelson, Steve Christian and Andreas Grosch. "We look forward to seeing the brand extended into the video game market and allowing consumers the opportunity to be the martial arts, parachuting, scuba diving, 14-year-old action spy who is Alex Rider."

The motion picture Stormbreaker is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on July 21 by Entertainment Film Distributors, in the United States on August 18 by The Weinstein Company and worldwide throughout summer 2006 by leading local distributors.