Following up on the success of its hit teen series "Flight 29 Down," Hawaii Film Partners is gearing up for a busy 2007 with two feature films and an animated television series.

"Far Cry," based on the Xbox video game of the same name, is scheduled to begin production in Hawai'i next spring. While casting commitments have not been finalized, among those mentioned in connection with the project are veteran actor Michael Paré ("Eddie and the Cruisers").

Uwe Boll, who directed the vampire-action BloodRayne films, is slated to direct.

Hawaii Film Partners co-founder Rann Watumull says the film, which centers around a retired Special Forces officer, is "like 'Die Hard' on an island."

The projected budget for the feature film, funded by local and Mainland investors, is $15 million.

Another feature film, "Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel," based on Sidney Kirkpatrick's book about marine biologist Richard Novak's unlikely war against drug smuggler Carlos Lehder and the Medellin drug cartel, will likely begin production next spring or summer, with Hawai'i locales doubling as the Bahamas. The budget for the film is $10 million.

Both "Far Cry" and "Turning the Tide" are slated for theatrical release.

Hawaii Film Partners is collaborating with the Chinese city of Changzhou and Korean animation firm GIMC to produce "Tal," a 26-episode animated series that will also get under way next year. The series follows the adventures of a Korea-born American girl with super powers.

The series is the first of four or five animation projects expected to be produced by the Asian Animation Round partnership, to which Hawaii Film Partners belongs.

Founded by Watumull and his wife, Gina, Hawaii Film Partners has taken advantage of Act 221/215 tax credits to establish itself as a significant player in the local film and television industry.

"Flight 29 Down," last year's top-rated Discovery Kids show, resumed filming on the North Shore in January. The entire cast, including local actress Tani Lynn Fujimoto and rising teen idol Corbin Bleu, will return for Season 3 of the show.

After filming wraps up in February, Bleu heads back to Los Angeles to film the sequel to last year's surprise Disney hit, "High School Musical."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.