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Tag: Pow! Entertainment

  • Marvel Studios signs 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe

    Marvel Studios signs 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe

    MUMBAI:Marvel Studios has signed a 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe to license the name and likeness of Lee for use in future feature films and television productions, as well as Disney theme parks, various experiences and merchandising.

    Stan Lee Universe is a venture between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment. Lee is one of the most prolific and legendary comic creators of all time. As Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Lee helped build a universe of interlocking continuity, one where fans felt as if they could turn a street corner and run into a superhero from Spider-Man to the Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and more. Lee went on to become Marvel’s editorial director and publisher in 1972, and was eventually named chairman emeritus.

    “We are proud to be the stewards of the incredibly valuable rights to Stan Lee’s name, likeness, merchandise, and intellectual property brand. And, there is no better place than Marvel and Disney where Stan should be for his movies and theme park experiences. As we enter the centennial year of Stan’s birthday, 28 December, 2022, we are thrilled to see his memory and legacy will continue to delight fans through this new long-term agreement with Marvel” said Genius Brands chairman CEO Andy Heyward.

    Under the terms of the deal, Marvel Studios has acquired rights to use Stan Lee’s name, voice, likeness and signature in movies and television projects, as well as use images, existing footage and existing audio recordings featuring Stan. Exclusive rights to use Stan Lee’s name, voice, likeness and signature in theme parks, water parks, cruise lines and in-park merchandise were included for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products as part of the deal.

    “As Stan’s longtime business partner and friend, I’m looking forward to commemorating his work in this new way. Building a connection with his fans is important to us and it’s a privilege to get to do that on his behalf” said Pow! Entertainment president Gill Champion.

    Le has also appeared in some of the most popular films of all time. His well-known cameos in Marvel films began in the 1989 telefilm “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk”. After the release of “X-Men” in 2000, he appeared in nearly every Marvel film and television project until his passing in 2018.

  • Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    MUMBAI: After its successful debut on Cartoon Network in 2013, Graphic India and Stan Lee’s “Chakra The Invincible” is back with three new installments of “Made for TV” movies for Turner International. Chakra is the brainchild Graphic India’s Sharad Devarajan, and POW Entertainment founder Stan Lee, who is credited with creating billion-dollar character intellectual properties such as the Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor and the X-Men.

    Sixty to 70 mins long, the first of the three installments, Chakra Rise of the Infinitus, was aired on Turner’s Toonami last Sunday, while the second and third animated movies are scheduled for December-end and first half of 2017.

    “The movie will subsequently be aired on other Turner channels such as Cartoon Network,” said Devarajan. “I have had a great long-standing partnership with Krishna Desai who heads Turner’s kids content division. He is a true fan of comics books; Stan Lee and I saw the true potential for this kind of unique content,” Devarajan added on choosing Turner as the broadcast partner.

    To make the content travel to regional markets as well, the movies have been produced in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu feeds. Apart from its TV broadcasts in India, Graphic India is largely looking into syndicating the TV movies to other international markets. “Our partnership is only for the Indian market, but Graphic India is aggressively expanding to other markets with foreign broadcasting partners as well. We have already partnered with Angry Birds creators, Rovio Entertainment, and its digital platform ToonsTV, making Chakra as the first third-party character to have launched on the platform.”

    The character received a warm welcome from the fan boys in the United States. “Kids from the mid-west America have been found dressing up as an Indian superhero in cosplay conventions and birthday parties — that is how popular it is in the western markets,” Devarajan shared, adding that 100,000 copies of the comic book have been distributed in the North American market.

    Devarajan also has big plans to market the character in India, starting in the next two to three months which will tied to the promotion of the live action Bollywood film inspired by Chakra, announced by Phantom Films (in 2017).

    “We will be pushing the distribution of the comic book, organise live events, and ensure that Chakra has a visibility in games, merchandise and promotions deals with brands in India.”

    Devarajan shied away from discussing the actual budget of the latest series of TV movies, but he reassured that they have scaled up the production.

    “Now that we are getting international market attention about distribution, the more we move to multi-market, the scope of expanding both, scale and budget, increases. Working only in the Indian market gives us limited options, but when foreign players are willing to invest, we naturally consider a higher budget,” he added.

    Apart from Chakra The Invincible, Graphic India will also see its long-announced animated series “Astra Force” (featuring an animated Amitabh Bachchan) see the light of the day this year-end with Disney India being the broadcast partner.

  • Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    MUMBAI: After its successful debut on Cartoon Network in 2013, Graphic India and Stan Lee’s “Chakra The Invincible” is back with three new installments of “Made for TV” movies for Turner International. Chakra is the brainchild Graphic India’s Sharad Devarajan, and POW Entertainment founder Stan Lee, who is credited with creating billion-dollar character intellectual properties such as the Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor and the X-Men.

    Sixty to 70 mins long, the first of the three installments, Chakra Rise of the Infinitus, was aired on Turner’s Toonami last Sunday, while the second and third animated movies are scheduled for December-end and first half of 2017.

    “The movie will subsequently be aired on other Turner channels such as Cartoon Network,” said Devarajan. “I have had a great long-standing partnership with Krishna Desai who heads Turner’s kids content division. He is a true fan of comics books; Stan Lee and I saw the true potential for this kind of unique content,” Devarajan added on choosing Turner as the broadcast partner.

    To make the content travel to regional markets as well, the movies have been produced in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu feeds. Apart from its TV broadcasts in India, Graphic India is largely looking into syndicating the TV movies to other international markets. “Our partnership is only for the Indian market, but Graphic India is aggressively expanding to other markets with foreign broadcasting partners as well. We have already partnered with Angry Birds creators, Rovio Entertainment, and its digital platform ToonsTV, making Chakra as the first third-party character to have launched on the platform.”

    The character received a warm welcome from the fan boys in the United States. “Kids from the mid-west America have been found dressing up as an Indian superhero in cosplay conventions and birthday parties — that is how popular it is in the western markets,” Devarajan shared, adding that 100,000 copies of the comic book have been distributed in the North American market.

    Devarajan also has big plans to market the character in India, starting in the next two to three months which will tied to the promotion of the live action Bollywood film inspired by Chakra, announced by Phantom Films (in 2017).

    “We will be pushing the distribution of the comic book, organise live events, and ensure that Chakra has a visibility in games, merchandise and promotions deals with brands in India.”

    Devarajan shied away from discussing the actual budget of the latest series of TV movies, but he reassured that they have scaled up the production.

    “Now that we are getting international market attention about distribution, the more we move to multi-market, the scope of expanding both, scale and budget, increases. Working only in the Indian market gives us limited options, but when foreign players are willing to invest, we naturally consider a higher budget,” he added.

    Apart from Chakra The Invincible, Graphic India will also see its long-announced animated series “Astra Force” (featuring an animated Amitabh Bachchan) see the light of the day this year-end with Disney India being the broadcast partner.

  • Cartoon Network, Graphic India, POW! Entertainment get together for Chakra: The Invincible

    Cartoon Network, Graphic India, POW! Entertainment get together for Chakra: The Invincible

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network, Graphic India and POW! Entertainment have announced a partnership that will bring to life Stan Lee’s first ever Indian superhero. The legendary writer is the co-creator of the world’s most popular superheroes including Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, The Avengers, and many others. The movie, entitled Chakra: The Invincible, will premiere on Cartoon Network on Saturday, 30 November at 12pm.

     

    Talking about his first ever Indian superhero Stan Lee said, “I am incredibly excited to be collaborating with my friends at Graphic India as we launch this great new, thrill-a-minute superhero saga named, Chakra: The Invincible, on Cartoon Network.”

     

    Brimming with enthusiasm he added, “The incredible story of Chakra, one of my latest and most exciting superhero creations, promises to captivate audiences in India and around the world with his adventures.”

     

    Chakra: The Invincible tells the story of Raju Rai, a young Indian boy living in Mumbai. Raju and his mentor, the scientist Dr. Singh, develop a technology suit that activates the mystical chakras of the body. When Raju dons the suit, he discovers superpowers and vows to use his newfound abilities to protect and serve. Using his amazing powers, Chakra must save the city and the world from super villains!

     

    Commenting on this partnership, Turner International senior director & network head – kids, south Asia Krishna Desai said, “We are thrilled to announce this partnership and to have the pleasure of working with one of the world’s greatest legends – and my favourite real-life superhero, Stan Lee. Chakra: The Invincible is a part of Turner’s continuing efforts to entertain kids and families across India with new and exciting characters and stories. We are certain that Chakra will be added to the long list of world renowned characters from both Stan Lee and Cartoon Network.”

     

    “What a great opportunity to expand Stan’s global brand by introducing Chakra as our first Indian superhero, and who better to partner with than Sharad Devarajan and Graphic India, as well as Cartoon Network,” said POW! Entertainment CEO/president Gill Champion.

     

    “The opportunity to work with Stan Lee to create Chakra: The Invincible is the culmination of a lifelong dream, made that much more rewarding by partnering with the amazing team at Cartoon Network,” added Graphic’s co-founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan, who is also the director and executive producer of the animated film.

     

    “Stan Lee is one of the most prolific storytellers in the world, and in the same way his previous characters are known by nearly every man, woman and child on the planet, we believe Chakra will captivate audiences from Boston to Beijing to Bangalore!”

     

    Graphic India SVP creative Jeevan J. Kang has overseen the visual development and also created the character designs and art for the project working closely with Lee and Devarajan to bring Chakra’s story to life.

     

    In addition to the partnership with Cartoon Network, Graphic India recently announced that Chakra: The Invincible has also been selected as part of a group of content partners to soon be featured on Angry Birds creator, Rovio Entertainment’s new ToonsTV platform, reaching audiences around the world.

     

    Beyond animation, Graphic India will also be launching the character in a series of digital and print comic books and graphic novels as well as through toys and merchandise.