Playboy, Threshold in Comedic Film Venture

Playboy Enterprises Inc. and Threshold Entertainment, producer of the “Mortal Kombat” action movies, teamed up Wednesday to make mainstream feature films that extend the Playboy brand into a new arena. The venture will focus on romantic comedy films budgeted at about $25 million and aimed at men and women who aspire to copy the lifestyle Hugh Hefner has epitomized since founding Playboy magazine in 1953.

Larry Kasanoff, chairman and chief executive of Threshold, is best known for making the “Mortal Kombat” martial arts films, as well as managing entertainment brands such as “Duke Nukem,” “GI Joe” and “Hellraiser.”