MARVEL, LION'S GATE ENTER MADE FOR DVD AGREEMENT

[MattBrady]

Marvel today announced that it has signed an agreement with Lion's Gate Entertainment to jump into the made for DVD marketplace with both feet, with eight 2D or 3D animated projects to begin production immediately. Marvel will be paid a licensing fee for each project, and will creatively develop each as well.

The press release regarding the agreement reads:

<blockquote>Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:MVL), a global entertainment licensing company, and Lions Gate Entertainment (AMEX:LGF) (TSX:LGF), the premier independent filmed entertainment studio, announced today that they have entered into an agreement to develop, produce and distribute original animated DVD features based on certain characters within the Marvel Universe. Under the terms of the arrangement, Marvel and Lions Gate plan to commence production immediately on eight original animated projects in either 2-D or 3-D format with the first title expected to be released by Lions Gate in late 2005. The announcement was made by Lions Gate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer and Avi Arad, Chairman and CEO Marvel Studios.

"More than $2 billion in DVDs based on Marvel characters have been sold and Marvel's animated television projects have been very successful, so this is a natural evolution for the company," said Arad. "Lions Gate has been a great partner for us and this new venture will further solidify the Marvel name as one of the preeminent brands in entertainment."

Feltheimer added, "This deal reflects the next chapter in our ongoing relationship with Marvel. The Marvel Universe maintains an outstanding and loyal fan base that craves fresh material featuring Marvel's Super Heroes. We're confident that we can take Marvel's extensive library of popular characters with compelling storylines and create action-packed, appealing animated made-for-DVD movies."

Under terms of the agreement, Lions Gate will provide Marvel with licensing fees for character rights and fund all of the development, production, distribution and marketing for each title. Marvel will spearhead creative development and production. After each animated project's home video window expires, the companies may exploit the movies in other entertainment media domestically and internationally including television and Video On Demand (VOD). Both companies will share in the profits from the venture.

Marvel will choose from a roster of leading production partners, including Lions Gate's own animation production partner, CineGroupe. Each animated picture will have a minimum running time of 66 minutes and specific titles and characters chosen for animation will be announced at a later date.

The two companies noted that the agreement builds on the current theatrical relationship between Lions Gate and Marvel. As announced in February 2004, Lions Gate has been granted licenses to develop, produce and distribute theatrical film releases based upon two popular Marvel(TM) properties -- Iron Fist(TM) and Black Widow(TM) -- and Lions Gate and Marvel already plan to make a sequel to their April 2004 release "The Punisher." </blockquote>

[gustavolb]

Any news on when production on Iron Fist will begin? It could be a kick ass kung fu movie.

[matthewstarnes]

Sounds like positive news. I hope the quality of the 2D/3D animation will be outstanding.

[cncoyle]

I hope they bring back the animated Thor idea that was thrown around a decade ago. I think that is the only way to properly convey Thor, including the old-timey dialogue, without coming across as silly or corny.

I also wouldn't mind a 2-hour Silver Surfer movie, similar to the FOX animated series, which died too soon:(.

[magellan]

I'd like to see direct translations of ultimate universe comics. Adapt 'The Ultimates,' Millar's 'Ultimate X-Men,' and Bendis' Ultimate Spiderman for animated movies, and watch the swarm of people that run to pick the things up.

Any bets on how many posts before someone bashes Marvel for using sound business practices?

[SpyGuy]

Originally posted by matthewstarnes
Sounds like positive news. I hope the quality of the 2D/3D animation will be outstanding.

This will be positive news if the quality is outstanding. I think the last thing any of us wants to see is product that is crudely depicted, rushed out and made by talentless people. A 3-D CGI Silver Surfer film could be incredible as long as there is a great script and decent voice actors to complement the animation.

As for other projects, I think a Doctor Strange movie could be stunning, and a 2-D format Avengers movie along the lines of Cartoon Network's JUSTICE LEAGUE might make up for that horribly weak Fox animated series some years ago...

[dayspring]

any word on when punisher is hitting dvd?

[Blind Assassin]

Originally posted by magellan
I'd like to see direct translations of ultimate universe comics. Adapt 'The Ultimates,' Millar's 'Ultimate X-Men,' and Bendis' Ultimate Spiderman for animated movies, and watch the swarm of people that run to pick the things up.

Any bets on how many posts before someone bashes Marvel for using sound business practices?


They already have 'direct translations' of ultimate comics, and lots more, too.

Go here: Marvel Comic DVDs (http://www.intecinteractive.com/currenttitles_action.asp?expand=marvel&c=publisher&s=Marvel)


No Ultimate Spider-Man yet, though :(

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005BSMC.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Termed a Digital Comic Book (DCB) this DVD product is a cross platform for comic books, videogame consoles, and DVD players. A DCB combines the visual art and storytelling ability of published comic books with professional voice-overs, original music, vivid stunning effects and high-end sound design to create a unique DVD product on par with a major motion picture release.
Each DCB contains a five to eight issue comic story-arc and at half the cost of the printed version, the value speaks for itself. Plenty of extra material is packed in as well: trailers, character biographies, original sketches, a documentary about how comics are made, and bonus chapters (including classic first appearances of the main characters). This all adds up to over 100 minutes of viewable material per DCB. Viewable on DVD, Playstation2, Xbox, MacOS 9.2, and PC.

Two of the best-known comic book publishers in the world, Marvel and CrossGen, have provided their most popular properties to these DCB. Character titles include: the Incredible Hulk, Ultimate X-Men, Daredevil, Wolverine, Negation, Sojourn, and Way of the Rat.

Digital Comic Books have received numerous accolades from the press and outstanding reviews praising this entertaining product.

The Ultimates - Volume 1

A small but lethal army known as the Ultimates, has been created to protect us all from the newly rising threats to mankind!

Among those considered for membership: Iron Man, a jet-flying, publicity-seeking capitalist sporting a self-made personal assault suit; Giant-Man, a scientist with an inferiority complex as large as his stature; the Wasp, a petite powerhouse with a sordid secret; the Hulk, a brilliant, gentle man with an inhibition-overpowering addiction that may tear apart everything, he loves; Captain America, a star-spangled super-soldier; and Thor, a New Age guru who may either be the living son of a Norse god...or a lunatic with a big hammer!



By the way...Good for Marvel. Some direct to DVD animation of some of their properties sounds like a great idea!!

[cyclopsfan]

Cool. I wish, in this world of dvd tv sets that we would get the x-men animated on DVD. Not Evolution, but the 90's cartoon.

[from the gutter]

This makes me very happy. This means that Marvel is back to making movies only a mother could love. Or a comic book fan. Movies like the Captain America and Nick Fury Agent of S.H.E.I.L.D. . Im sure now they may be of a little bit better quality, they better be better than Mutant X, thats the kind of cheese I cant stand. It would suck if the movies are held by too restrictive of standards so that the world is drastically different from the Marvel Universe, like in Mutant X. Im sure that there will be some restrictions though, like no Spidey or X-Men appearances. Surely only good things can come from the cheese that will ensue.

[Kryptokid]

Originally posted by cyclopsfan
Cool. I wish, in this world of dvd tv sets that we would get the x-men animated on DVD. Not Evolution, but the 90's cartoon.

Yeah I'd definitely think about buying that. Now if only DC would bring out some of their cartoons (I know they are bringing out Batman TAS Season 1 but keep them coming). First Cartoon DVD I bought was Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (or whatever) it was called a while ago and couldn't believe cartoons could look so good.

[magellan]

I miss the 90's Spiderman Cartoon. Sure the animation wasn't very fluid, but they did some cool stuff. I love the Captain America arc where they resurrect the Red Skull and Cap. Or where they do Secret Wars. Kind of lost me at the end when Spiderman meets Stan Lee, though. . .

[gustavolb]

Originally posted by cyclopsfan
Cool. I wish, in this world of dvd tv sets that we would get the x-men animated on DVD. Not Evolution, but the 90's cartoon.

Although I disagreed with you on the other thread, agree totally with you on this one.

[Raphe Cheli]

While I'm excited about new Marvel animation, why are they going the direct-to-video/DVD route, when there are so many cable opportunites out there to have it broadcast first (and make some money) and then released on the consumer market (and make some more money)? Also, will they be able to create new material for the more popular characters that are tied into other studios (like Spider-Man at Sony or the Hulk at Universal)?

[Adam G]

I hope we see Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.

[from the gutter]

I liked the last episode where he goes to a world where his life is nothing but a fictional comic book. That is a bit profound if you think about it. Plus I thought it was cool that we have an account of Stan Lee meeting Spider-Man. It was a bit weird though. I think it was supposed to be, that was just a weird episode, but Maddame(sp?) Web isnt exactly normal. I havent seen that episode since it first aired though.

I hope Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends is put out on DVD also. And with Challenge of the Super-Friends season 1 and Batman the Animated Series season 1 being put out this July maybe Marvel will see there is a market for it. Since they are releasing ALL of the original 60's Spider-Man cartoon on DVD(June, I think) maybe its allready in the works.

[jbpjr]

Originally posted by Raphe Cheli
While I'm excited about new Marvel animation, why are they going the direct-to-video/DVD route, when there are so many cable opportunites out there to have it broadcast first (and make some money) and then released on the consumer market (and make some more money)? Also, will they be able to create new material for the more popular characters that are tied into other studios (like Spider-Man at Sony or the Hulk at Universal)?

A coupla reasons I figure. One, there's a lot of money in direct to dvd market. (Just ask the Olsen twins.) And two, by going direct to dvd they may be able to use certain characters that may be otherwise tied up in other media.

I was hoping that if something like this would be announced, it would be pixar.

[Supreme Convoy]

Direct-to-video sounds a bit scary for me. It'd be like Disney's sequels and Starship Troopers 2 (bleh)

But hopefully they'll produce great DVDs. And this could mean more secondary characters (Moon Knight, Dr. Strange) will get the Hollywood treatment they deserve.

[yellan]

This is fantastic news! Probably the best 3D CGI I have seen this year would be the Spider-Man series that aired on MTV. I have recently purchased the DVD of the series and have to say that Mainframe animation did a bang up job!! In fact, Stan Lee even went on record to say it was the best job he has ever seen of bring an animated superhero to life in CGI. Any comments?

[StoneGold]

Originally posted by Supreme Convoy
Direct-to-video sounds a bit scary for me. It'd be like Disney's sequels and Starship Troopers 2 (bleh)

Or the Animatrix, which was the only good thing to come out of the Matrix sequels. Although I haven't seen the Van Helsing one yet. Still, some of the Disney OAV stuff hasn't been that bad. The Alladin ones were pretty funny.

[Hank Wirtz]

Originally posted by magellan
I'd like to see direct translations of ultimate universe comics. Adapt 'The Ultimates,' Millar's 'Ultimate X-Men,' and Bendis' Ultimate Spiderman for animated movies, and watch the swarm of people that run to pick the things up.



Um, you did know about the MTV Spider-Man series for which Bendis wrote the pilot and served as grand high muckety-muck, didn't you?

I know it's not a direct translation of the comic, but if you ever wait for a line-by-line adaptation of any publication, you'll be waiting awhile.

[FIG]

Direct to video animation?-Awesome. First I was a little weary after hearing Direct to Dvd because I had flashbacks of the horrible Captain America movie but then after I read 2-d and 3-d animation in the article, I'm stoked. Lets hope we see the Avengers in high quality 3-D ala Final Fantasy.

[IanZL]

I would imagine direct to DVD would save a lot in terms of distirbution and advertising costs.

Oh and the part I found interesting was this:
Marvel will spearhead creative development and production
Now correct me if I'm wrong on this, but it sounds to me that we could be getting a (for example) Moon Knight movie written by Bendis or Millar themselves.

[willyd]

I would LOVE to see more Marvel adaptations, in any format. That being said, isn't the point of this Lion's Gate deal to do fast-and-dirty adaptations that Marvel owns a huge chunk of?

Rather than go through another studio like Sony and get shut out of most of the profits, Marvel signed this deal to focus on second-string characters (Punisher, Iron Fist, Widow, Man Thing) whose movies could be made cheaply and quickly, with Marvel getting a much larger share of the back end...with this in mind, is it realistic to expect great animation or production values in these affairs? As fun as parts (parts!) of the Punisher movie were, you have to admit there was a distinct air of cheapness in the air...I would love to see great 3-D animations of the whole Marvel crew, but I'm worried it will be GI JOE: Spytroops or Voltron caliber stuff.

[Ehf Bombs]

Originally posted by cyclopsfan
Cool. I wish, in this world of dvd tv sets that we would get the x-men animated on DVD. Not Evolution, but the 90's cartoon.

There are just a limited number of them. I've gotten several off of netflix. Dark Phoenix saga was great, real close to the actual comics. Also had Proteus.

[I-Ching]

Wow, this is really great news.

I think this is the route to go with characters like Cloak & Dagger, Silver Sable, Nomad, etc.

An animation script can be thrive with less constraints on "location" and "special effects" since anything is possible.

The direct route is absolutely the way to go. No worries about finding a distributor or competing for nielsen ratings and advertising revenue. It also provides a continuous revenue stream and less overhead.

Good move guys, looking forward to this venture.

DC once again is completely missing the boat. They have so many amazing characters and yet they only focus on the two most well known.

Make Mine Marvel

[Chris1]

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was considered a flop at the box office, although I think we can all agree that it was excellent. It pretty much ensured that future Batman animated films would be direct to video.

Since then, a number of other animated "guy" films have bombed, like Titan A.E. So, I think it will be quite a while before we see an animated comic book-based movie on the big screen.

That said, I think with the current interest in super heroes, an animated Thor, for example, would do a lot better in the theatres than it would have 5 years ago.

[Raphe Cheli]

Originally posted by I-Ching
DC once again is completely missing the boat. They have so many amazing characters and yet they only focus on the two most well known.

Make Mine Marvel <p>How so? DC has the Batman cartoon and upcoming movie, Smallville, Catwoman (although not the DC universe's one), Teen Titans cartoon (very popular), Justice League cartoon (ditto), and Static Shock.
<p>Plus, DC has the Superman, Batman, and JLA DVDs, plus the live action Wonder Woman DVDs. Definately DC characters are laggin behind in the live action, full-length stuff, but they're doing very well in the animated arena.

[MindTricked]

Originally posted by yellan
This is fantastic news! Probably the best 3D CGI I have seen this year would be the Spider-Man series that aired on MTV. I have recently purchased the DVD of the series and have to say that Mainframe animation did a bang up job!! In fact, Stan Lee even went on record to say it was the best job he has ever seen of bring an animated superhero to life in CGI. Any comments?

Wow, that is great news. Okay, the animation is sewed up - how about the writing?

[FIG]

Originally posted by willyd
.......but I'm worried it will be GI JOE: Spytroops or Voltron caliber stuff.

Damn I hope you're wrong.

[wolfpacker]

"Direct-to-DVD" usually means "Crap". Marvel has a hard enough time getting quality adaptations of their properties when it has serious resources behind it.

[Ectomorph]

Originally posted by magellan
I miss the 90's Spiderman Cartoon. Sure the animation wasn't very fluid, but they did some cool stuff. I love the Captain America arc where they resurrect the Red Skull and Cap. Or where they do Secret Wars. Kind of lost me at the end when Spiderman meets Stan Lee, though. . .

I totally agree with you this.
I loved the 90's Spider-Man. It was the best cartoon on tv in its time. It had really good stories, especially when he met Black Cat.. oh and also the Venom saga. That was so cool.

But thing that I loved most about that cartoon, was the voice acting. Man, Spider-Man/Peter Parker sounded like Spider-Man/Peter Parker :D ! Everytime I read a Spider-Man comic, I imagine it's the same voice speaking. This was like the x-Men characters from the 90's cartoons. I mean Wolverine sounded like Wolverine, not like Hugh Jackman (which I dont mind his Wolverine, actually enjoyed it).

[destro]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cncoyle
[B]I hope they bring back the animated Thor idea that was thrown around a decade ago. I think that is the only way to properly convey Thor, including the old-timey dialogue, without coming across as silly or corny.

I also wouldn't mind a 2-hour Silver Surfer movie, similar to the FOX animated series, which died too soon:(


Dude!! I completely agree with you on both counts!! Thor exudes epic animation. And that silver surfer series Kicked ass! I loved the style/mood the mix of traditional and cg animation. The music was right on too. Those sad cello's.
That episode with Adam Warlock(tweaked orgin) was one of the best sci-fi animation episodes ever. Felt like a really good Star trek episode- but then it was written by d.c. fontana. I dug the beta ray bill(tweaked orgin) episode too. Closest thing to a kickass thor episode.

[Psivage]

What is 2-D and 3-D? Is 2-D just like regular cartoon and 3-D computer generated?

[Village_Mystic]

Originally posted by Raphe Cheli
While I'm excited about new Marvel animation, why are they going the direct-to-video/DVD route, when there are so many cable opportunites out there to have it broadcast first (and make some money) and then released on the consumer market (and make some more money)? Also, will they be able to create new material for the more popular characters that are tied into other studios (like Spider-Man at Sony or the Hulk at Universal)?
Okay - Here's my best guess, based on studying the market:

DVDs will sell, but television buyers might not be into comics. So if they go television rights first, then they have to rely on television networks and syndicators and stations to all agree that they like comics.... and that their viewers like comics.

My guess is for the first few, if they can sell the DVD's to make their budget's back or better, with fewer middle men taking a cut:

either

(1) they can make more
(2) if the sales are big enough they can try television first on a second series of animated projects.

The other thing to consider is this:

-- if the first rights are to the DVD sales market, then when Lions Gate and Marvel go to put them on television (after the Home Video window closes, whatever that is), they can sell station by station, country, by country, rather than tying up the televisio rights with one network or one country.

[Village_Mystic]

Originally posted by jbpjr
A coupla reasons I figure. One, there's a lot of money in direct to dvd market. (Just ask the Olsen twins.) And two, by going direct to dvd they may be able to use certain characters that may be otherwise tied up in other media.

I was hoping that if something like this would be announced, it would be pixar.

Since you answered the same question that I did, but in a different way, let me answer yours... there's always the possibility that one of the animation studios that they team up with will be Pixar....or a boutique set up by ex-pixar designers... wait and see.