Leonardo DiCaprio and Jane Goodall-Produced Movie ‘Howl’ Boarded by Pulsar Content, XYZ Films Ahead of AFM (EXCLUSIVE)

Pulsar Content has boarded “Howl,” an anticipated movie executive produced by  Leonardo DiCaprio and celebrated environmental activist Jane Goodall. The Paris-based company is executive producing as well as handling international sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the AFM in Las Vegas.

Unfolding through the animals’ perspective, the survival tale revolves around Harry, a recently orphaned family dog who finds himself home alone at the onset of winter in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and forms an unlikely bond with a young wolf who is the last remaining member of a pack decimated by hunters. After initial fear and conflict, the lovable dog and wild wolf start to show each other their worlds, learn from each other and ultimately realize that they must cooperate in order to survive.

“Howl” was written by Christopher Monger (“The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain”) and will be directed by Elias E. Merhige, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated Gothic movie “Shadow of a Vampire.”

Richard Johns at Promethean Pictures is producing the movie with Fabrice Lambot at Phase 4 Productions. Léo Maidenberg’s Place du Marché is co-producing. XYZ Films will co-rep the U.S. with Pulsar.

Pre-production is already underway in Alberta, Canada with a stellar film crew, including popular Hollywood animal trainer Andrew Simpson, who has previously worked on “The Revenant,” “John Wick 3” and “Games of Thrones.”

“‘Howl’ is an edge-of-the-seat adventure film made for a large international audience,” said Pulsar Content’s Marie Garrett and Gilles Sousa, who are executive producers on the movie and praised the script for delivering “both in terms of entertainment and food for thought.”

“By keeping the narrative from the animals’ perspective without ever humanizing them, ‘Howl will give the audience a closer sense of what these animals truly are, and the impact mankind has on their lives and future,” the pair continued.

Garrett and Sousa added that the movie is backed by a strong team, spanning from a “visionary director that is Elias Merhige, the incredible wolf whisperer that is Andrew Simpson — whose method is unique and praised by wildlife defenders — and ambassadors such as Jane Goodall and Leonardo DiCaprio.”

Johns said, “Elias and I are excited to have Pulsar on board as international distributors for ‘Howl.’ It has been such a passion project for us from the very first day we read Christopher Monger’s script.’

Fabrice Lambot, co-founder of Phase 4 Productions, said: “‘Howl’ is an extraordinary project, destined to be an entertaining and inspiring once-in-a-lifetime global film and nature event.”

“With the excellent team at Pulsar now on board, we can begin to spread its message as we move into production and also look to create a wider ‘Howl’ universe that will resonate with audiences of all ages around the world,” Lambot continued.

Executive producers also include T.P. Lim from Malaysia’s Infinitus Entertainment, who presides over the Malaysian Chapter of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program; Datuk Seri Robin Tan, chairman of Infinitus Entertainment Group; and Mr. Jment Lim, the founder of Sunstrong Entertainment, who has vast experience in promoting films with social causes throughout Asia. 

Other EPs on “Howl” include DiCaprio’s partners at Appian Way Productions Jennifer Davisson and Michael Hampton.

Pulsar Contentʼs lineup boasts “The Opera!,” an ambitious musical starring Vincent Cassel, Fanny Ardant and Rossy De Palma which is screening at AFM, as well as Joséphine Japy’s directorial debut “The Wonderers,” starring Mélanie Laurent, Pierre-Yves Cardinal and Angelina Woreth.