IGN Exclusive on LGF's 8 animated Marvel films!

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http://dvd.ign.com/articles/756/756369p1.html

Exclusive: Marvel's Upcoming Animation Slate
Teen Avengers, Doctor Strange, and more.
by Scott Collura
January 18, 2007 - With the direct-to-DVD animated film The Invincible Iron Man hitting disc next week, IGN recently got the scoop from the film's executive producer, Craig Kyle (who also happens to be vice president of creative development for animation at Marvel Studios), on that project as well as what's coming next from Marvel in the realm of feature-length animation. Perhaps the most exciting revelation was the news that preliminary work has begun on a film tentatively titled Teen Avengers.

"Right now it's a little early on for us to get too much into detail, but we're working on a Teen Avengers project," he says. "That's just a working title at this stage. Really, this is a shift of gears for us. Whereas the first four films [we did] were really for the older fans, this is a chance to kind of approach a younger audience, while sticking to all the rules of Saturday morning. We still want the great action, we still want the great characters, but we want to be a little more fast and loose with dialogue and not have so many concerns [that might slow down] our stories. So it's a chance for us to kind of take some of the classic Avengers elements but then add them to another generation of heroes. And this isn't based on Alan [Heinberg]'s excellent Young Avengers series. It's a wholly original project that we're trying to break for DVD. There will definitely be elements in the characters from the classic Avengers world, but who and what I can't quite say now."

Currently, Marvel Studios has an eight-picture home video distribution deal with Lionsgate for these animated features. The first two films, Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers II, performed very well in the retail and rental markets, and Iron Man is already exhibiting strong numbers. The next film on the slate after that, scheduled for release this summer, is a bit of a departure from the standard superhero fare seen so far, however: Doctor Strange.

"This is a place for us to try new things, and if ever a character needed to have the waters tested for him, it's Doctor Strange," says Kyle. "Animation allows us to really bring the world he deserves to life in a proper way. You know, magic and monsters and demons and all of that stuff works beautifully when done in animation. And he has such a great story. Unlike the first three films we've done in comparison, it's a whole new world [here], pulling back the veils of reality and revealing that there's another world all around us. It was a perfect story to just show. Once you think you've got a handle on the world of Marvel, we whip out this character and you realize that it's not just about spider bites and genetic mutations. It's about sorcery as well. Thankfully, the animation on this one is the strongest so far, and if you've seen the five-minute opening [included on the Iron Man DVD] you can see that. It's really, really beautiful."

For those readers whose Doctor Strange knowledge is a bit rusty, the character is also known as Dr. Stephen Strange. A cocky surgeon whose career is ruined after his hands are damaged in a car accident, Strange finds a new and higher calling when he becomes the Sorcerer Supreme -- the go-to-guy for magical and mystical disruptions and threats.

"What I love about him is he's this jerk of a guy right out of the gate, and midway through the film -- still a jerk!" laughs Kyle. "And by the end of it, right before it's over, he turns a page, and I think the audience will be right behind him when he becomes the Doctor Strange that everyone knows from the comics. It's kind of refreshing. It's not Peter [Parker], who you're rooting for from the very beginning. People will be like, 'Yeah! He deserves that car accident!' And that's where we want them when that happens in the movie. And I just love it. Literally halfway through the film, no one is rooting for this guy! So it's such a nice character to be doing as opposed to someone who you really want to succeed either from the very first moment of the film or shortly therein. In every way, it was a great new story and direction to go."

Beyond Doctor Strange and Teen Avengers, Kyle can't yet disclose what other properties will be getting the feature-length animated treatment next. He does acknowledge that he sees the Ultimate Avengers films as existing in a separate universe from the Iron Man and Doctor Strange films, though he does say sequels to the latter two pictures -- or possibly even a crossover between them -- is possible. And don't rule out a third Ultimate Avengers either.

"We're working on the film that comes after Teen Avengers, but we haven't really nailed it down yet," he says. "And then there's two more to follow, and as of right now there's nothing on the books as to what those two are going to be or if it's going to be an Ultimate Avengers III, but Ultimate Avengers III is definitely something we talk about quite a bit. If the demand is there, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up filling one of the slots with a third one."

 

[Tissues]

Cool..

 

[TequilaBob]

Sounds cool and all but, Teen Avengers?? Why not base it on YA? I could see that done in a Saturday morning style. However, I shall reserve judgement until I see the finished product. Speaking of UA, I'd be down for a UA3 or any sequels as long as they don't ignore other characters that could thrive in their own animated movies in favor of sequels for already established franchises.

 

[Roughneck]

I want them all in one Universe......I want an Animated Marvel U to compete with the DCAU

 

[usagicassidy]

Yeah, really. Marvel's animated universe ain't got nothin' on DC, and that's a shame. But the Teen Avengers is the thing that pisses me off the most. Why can't it just be the Young Avengers? It's not like their "new" characters are going to draw people in because they know of them, so arguing that the Young Avengers aren't well known enough isn't valid. This "Teen Avengers" sounds like a Teen Titans rip-off, whichis a scary thought.

 

[deathshead2]

8 more movies ugh. I hope they improve. So far Marvels animated projects these last few years have not been very impressive.

 

[deathshead2]

I want them all in one Universe......I want an Animated Marvel U to compete with the DCAU

They sort of did that in the 90s.

 

[November Rain]

if only they made Nick Fury white, this marvel animated universe could have been so much better....

they could have tied it in with x-men evolution and really made their mark on animation....

meh...

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ ?

White or right?

 

[November Rain]

They sort of did that in the 90s.

no story in the 90s showed any reference to any other shows or storylines from other cartoons,

each cartoon was effectively within its own universe with its own sets of characters.

barring this, there was no timeline, no consistency of stories, no nothing.

marvel didn't do jack... but to be fair, dcau took a while to get up and running, so one could argue the same about dc programmes, heck, alot of people stated batman beyond wasn't canon until JLU proved them wrong...

 

[deathshead2]

if only they made Nick Fury white, this marvel animated universe could have been so much better....

they could have tied it in with x-men evolution and really made their mark on animation....

meh...

I would have liked a tie in with that. Then we might have got an evolution dtv movie. I also wish they would have the same animation but no. Marvel is to cheap.

 

[November Rain]

^ ?

White or right?

white.

IN evolution he's white, in ultimate avengers, he's black...

and hence the two universes cannot co-exist

 

[deathshead2]

no story in the 90s showed any reference to any other shows or storylines from other cartoons,

each cartoon was effectively within its own universe with its own sets of characters.

barring this, there was no timeline, no consistency of stories, no nothing.

marvel didn't do jack... but to be fair, dcau took a while to get up and running, so one could argue the same about dc programmes, heck, alot of people stated batman beyond wasn't canon until JLU proved them wrong...

I have to disagree.

 

[November Rain]

I would have liked a tie in with that. Then we might have got an evolution dtv movie. I also wish they would have the same animation but no. Marvel is to cheap.

the animation styles i thought were the same...

I would have preferred something along the lines of Ultimate war, that would have translated really well into a movie.

 

[November Rain]

I have to disagree.

if you can 100% prove continuity within any of the shows crossing over, be my guest

there are plenty of examples that i could use to disprove it, and I mean spoken proof rather than soundtrack sampling.

I could use, iron man in hulk and hulk in iron man references
hulk in fantastic four and ben grimm in the hulk references
doom in spiderman, fantastic four and hulk references
or thor in the fantastic four and also thor in the hulk

not to mention the varying designs for the hulk in his own show, fantastic four, iron man and seen in clippits of the x-men.

i won't even bring the surfer into this but there is no evidence from his own show that he has contact with doom or the fantastic four previously.


in none of the twelve instances there does anyone show any involvement to anyone from another show previously. Nor our any of the events covered referenced and again, there is no viable timeline or chronology.

I don't know what you wish to show to counter this, it's fairly conclusive but feel free to do so.

 

[deathshead2]

Im not going to argue. I can see that I can't change your mind about it. But ever sense I saw marvel cartoons I could always see connections. But whatever it doesn't matter.

 

[November Rain]

make your case dammit, i made mine, what happened to democracy???????????



don't back down, step up

 

[Advanced Dark]

<H5>TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2007

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MARVEL ANIMATION: THE FUTURE



[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]WEST TOLUCA LAKE, Calif. -- The Invincible [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Iron [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Man[/FONT][/FONT] movie, out on DVD on Tuesday, is just one of several animated projects from Marvel Studios and partners in the next two years. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Continuum recently visited the offices of MLG Productions -- where Marvel and Lionsgate are teaming up on their current direct-to-[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DVD [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]films[/FONT][/FONT] -- and talked with Marvel Studios' Eric S. Rollman, who oversees Marvel's animation and live-action television projects. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sitting in a room with designs for the Teen [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Avengers[/FONT][/FONT] movie on the walls, Rollman dropped some -- but hardly all -- the details on Marvel's upcoming animated projects. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Following is a rundown: [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]MARVEL/LIONSGATE [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]FILMS[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Following August's Doctor Strange will be Teen Avengers, which will skew to a younger audience than the previous four films. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The characters are newly created and Teen Avengers is set in the future, but Rollman said, "There will be familiar elements within the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marvel [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Universe[/FONT][/FONT]." [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Christopher Yost, the story editor on Marvel's Fantastic Four series on Cartoon Network, is writing the screenplay. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The supervising director is Gary Hartle. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"He storyboarded the Hulk battle in the first Ultimate Avengers," Rollman said. "The board on that sequence was incredible." [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rollman said a sixth animated film will join Teen Avengers as a 2008 release. He wouldn't reveal the character(s) to be featured, but did say it was not a new creation like Teen Avengers. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"I can tell you that people will be pretty stunned when they hear what it is," he said. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif](For more on the Doctor Strange movie, CLICK HERE) [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]FANTASTIC FOUR [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rollman said he expects production on the 26 episodes to wrap in April. "The scripts are all done and everything has been recorded," he said. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Fantastic [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Four[/FONT][/FONT] is expected to return to Cartoon Network in May or June. Four episodes are being released by Fox [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Home [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Video[/FONT][/FONT] on DVD on March 27. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]WOLVERINE AND THE [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]X-MEN[/FONT][/FONT] [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marvel's mutants could be returning to the small screen as early as fall 2008. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"We are in pre-production," Rollman said. "We have a nice batch of scripts that are done. It's a really neat new take on the X-Men." [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Is it tough to do the X-Men again, following Fox Kids' X-Men and Kids' WB!'s X-Men: Evolution? [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"I wouldn't say it's tough, I would say it's fun," Rollman said. "There's so much to do with them. Yeah, there's been two series that have been done, but there's plenty of room in this world. The point of view in this one, since it's called [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Wolverine[/FONT][/FONT] and the X-Men, has quite a different twist to it as the sort of base story line." [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Greg Johnson, who wrote the first four Marvel/Lionsgate animated films and was a story editor on X-Men: Evolution, is story editor. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rollman said the series hasn't been sold to a network yet. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]IRON MAN [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This might also see the airwaves by fall 2008. Marvel is teaming with France's Method Films, who produced Nickeldeon's Skyland, on an all-CG series. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"It's a very state-of-the-art show," Rollman said. "These guys do some really advanced-looking stuff." [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rollman said the series will not be set in the world of the Invincible Iron Man or Ultimate Avengers films -- or the upcoming live-action Iron Man [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]movie[/FONT][/FONT]. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"We have a bible done and initial character development is about 60 percent done," Rollman said. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Yost has been attached to this series. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SPIDER-MAN [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"It's our most important property," Rollman said. "All we know at this point is a series is going to be made and there are currently a lot of discussions about how it's going to be made." [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marvel is working with movie partner Sony on the Spider-Man animated as well. Early reports indicated that Spider-Man might be released via the home market first. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"It's going to be a television series, at this point," Rollman said. "I don't think it's going to be released on video first. That was a discussion at one point. The plan is not clearly articulated at this point, but we are definitely doing a series of episodes, not movies." [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rollman said he doesn't see the new animation being set in the movie world. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"We just need to make a great series that stands on its own," Rollman said. "That's the only way to make it successful." [/FONT]

[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

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[Advanced Dark]

<H1>Marvel's animated superheroes raise bar on direct-to-video market

Reno Gazette Journal
"The Invincible Iron Man" stars the Marvel superhero. Lions Gate

Spider-Man, the X-Men and Blade may be making waves on the big screen, but they aren't the only Marvel Comics heroes with movies to their credit.

In February 2006, Marvel, in collaboration with Lions Gate, launched a series of direct-to-video animated films with "Ultimate Avengers: The Movie." That picture and its follow-up, "Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther," were jam-packed with Marvel heroes, including the Hulk and Captain America, and consumer response was solid.

Collectively, the two DVDs sold more than 1.5 million units, paving the way for the third title, "The Invincible Iron Man," which hit stores Tuesday.

"From what I'm hearing, orders from retailers on the third are just as strong as the first two films," said Craig Kyle, vice president of creative development for animation and an "Iron Man" screenwriter.

"That's great, especially when you consider the first two films were large group acts with fantastic characters that included Hulk and Iron Man and Cap [Captain America]. Those are huge names, and to have a solo film have the same kind of interest and support is fantastic."

In an entertainment marketplace flooded with product, Marvel has found a happy home in the direct-to-video market, but Kyle said they don't approach their movies like average straight-to-video fare.

"We don't want to be compared to anything Pixar or the theatrical folks are putting out because they have budgets, timetables and resources we don't have access to," he said. "That said, we put every dollar and every hour that we can into these projects so that they do rise above the expectations people have on a direct-to-DVD."

The results are slick, animated movies that give voice to a variety of Marvel characters, some of which are getting their first shot at feature-length stories.

"Invincible Iron Man" is rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality. While it isn't racy or gory, it is darker than the average TV toon.

</H1>
Nice.

Source: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/LIFE/701240328

 

[JackBauer]

"Right now it's a little early on for us to get too much into detail, but we're working on a Teen Avengers project," he says. "That's just a working title at this stage. Really, this is a shift of gears for us. Whereas the first four films [we did] were really for the older fans, this is a chance to kind of approach a younger audience, while sticking to all the rules of Saturday morning. We still want the great action, we still want the great characters, but we want to be a little more fast and loose with dialogue and not have so many concerns [that might slow down] our stories. So it's a chance for us to kind of take some of the classic Avengers elements but then add them to another generation of heroes. And this isn't based on Alan [Heinberg]'s excellent Young Avengers series. It's a wholly original project that we're trying to break for DVD. There will definitely be elements in the characters from the classic Avengers world, but who and what I can't quite say now."

yeah, those pesky things like character development and a plot can really get in the way of your mediocre storytelling.

 

[JackBauer]

WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN

Marvel's mutants could be returning to the small screen as early as fall 2008.

"We are in pre-production," Rollman said. "We have a nice batch of scripts that are done. It's a really neat new take on the X-Men."

Is it tough to do the X-Men again, following Fox Kids' X-Men and Kids' WB!'s X-Men: Evolution?

"I wouldn't say it's tough, I would say it's fun," Rollman said. "There's so much to do with them. Yeah, there's been two series that have been done, but there's plenty of room in this world. The point of view in this one, since it's called Wolverine and the X-Men, has quite a different twist to it as the sort of base story line."

Greg Johnson, who wrote the first four Marvel/Lionsgate animated films and was a story editor on X-Men: Evolution, is story editor.

Rollman said the series hasn't been sold to a network yet.

hopefully it never will.

to me, this is the epitome of the shameless pimpage of Wolverine, a character who's gone stale and is a lot cooler staying in the background, away from the spotlight.

just shows how bad it must be, if they have to go with an approach like this to be able to sell this.

 

[CaptainCanada]

But the Teen Avengers is the thing that pisses me off the most. Why can't it just be the Young Avengers?

Young Avengers is tied into an absolutely insane amount of Marvel continuity, so I can see why they might not want to. At a minimum, a YA adaptation would have to go in-depth about the history of the Avengers, including Kang, the super-soldier program, the Kree-Skrull War, the whole Scarlet Witch's kids mess (which the comic hasn't explained yet), Avengers Disassembled, etc.

Regarding Marvel's animated projects, they stayed separate as series, but they shared a good number of voice actors (Spider-Man, in particular, used the same voice-actors for the X-Men, Iron Man, and one member of the Fantastic Four as were used in their own series); the Spidey and X-Men series did a crossover within Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Wolverine has not gone stale. It's just a case of the ever popular trend of hating things that everyone else likes. Or because something is popular that it's bad or somehow sold out. Wolverine is one of the main draws of the franchise and the character the general audience likes the most. So of course as a business you focus on that when you can. It's be moronic not to...and it's worked out fine.

 

[Ironfan72]

I'm very interested in the Iron Man animated series and what it will look like, and am very open to another Iron Man Direct to DVD movie.

 

[RskimB]

Teen Avengers? They shoulda done the Runaways instead