Content distribution platform and VR studio Within is partnering up with FoxNext, a recently created immersive media division of 21st Century Fox. The new partnership is promising to “bring viewers a new slate of virtual reality experiences this year,” the first of which will be based on Fox’s Planet of the Apes franchise.
The first VR project, based on the dystopian sci-fi film, will be directed and produced by Within Founder and CEO Chris Milk. The creators say the project will utilize artificial intelligence to deliver a shared social experience that will be available on the Within app and across both VR and AR platforms.
Annapurna Pictures will also be partnering with Within and FoxNext to create an original VR film called I Remember You (working title). Milk is set to produce and direct the film, and develop alongside award-winning director Spike Jonze and Annapurna Pictures Founder Megan Ellison. The film will be available through Within, an app that is available on SteamVR for PC VR headsets and Oculus Home for Gear VR.
Annapurna’s VR titles have included Evolution of Verse, The Click Effect, and two upcoming projects Life of Us and Kathryn Bigelow’s The Protectors for National Geographic, both of which are currently at Sundance and will see a general release on the Within app in 2017.
Within announced a $12.4m series A funding round last June, taking on a number of investors from established media including 21st Century Fox, Annapurna Pictures, Legendary Pictures, and Vice Media.
“Virtual reality is the next generation of entertainment and PLANET OF THE APES provides the perfect canvas to create a new kind of filmmaking experience that will further immerse fans into the franchise,” said Salil Mehta, President, FoxNext. “In partnership with visionary filmmakers like Chris, and companies like Within, Fox will continue to push the envelope to create immersive experiences that bring audiences into the action like never before.”