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Tag: Stan Lee

  • 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.

  • Stan Lee’s superhero mobile game released by Gamesbond-underDOGS, Graphic India & POW!

    Stan Lee’s superhero mobile game released by Gamesbond-underDOGS, Graphic India & POW!

    MUMBAI: India’s leading mobile game distribution and publishing house, Gamesbond, released its latest mobile game “Chakra: World Siege” in partnership with Graphic India and POW! Entertainment, the IP licensors for one of India’s leading superhero characters, “Chakra The Invincible.”

    Gamesbond’s development partner for the game is the studio, underDOGS.

    Chakra: World Siege is currently available for free on the Google Play store and was featured as one of the top games in their “New and Updated” section. “Chakra: World Siege” has been launched globally with a focus on targeting the Indian audience.

    The game is based on the animation and comic book character “Chakra: The Invincible” created by superhero icon, Stan Lee and Sharad Devarajan. Lee is the legendary co-creator of the world’s most popular superheroes including Spider-Man™, X-Men™, Fantastic Four™, Iron Man™, Hulk™, The Avengers™, and more.

    Stan Lee, brimming with enthusiasm added, “Against the spectacular backdrop of the great Indian metropolis of Mumbai, we tell the incredible saga of Chakra, one of my most exciting superhero creations, whose adventures will captivate audiences around the world.”

    Chakra: World Siege involves the user playing as Chakra in a challenging quest to save the world from his long-time nemesis, the evil Boss Yama. The game is an action-packed running game that takes you on a journey through the Seven Wonders of the World to ensure their safety. As Chakra, players must jump and dodge various obstacles and unlock their “chakras,” to gain special powers and superhero moves needed to save the world.

    “Stan Lee’s characters have generated $15 billion at the global box office, creating some of the most beloved icons in entertainment. More people today likely know the face of Spider-Man than they do the Mona Lisa,” added Graphic India CEO Sharad Devarajan. “I have no doubt this will be the first of many new games for our Indian superhero as we grow Chakra to become a successful gaming franchise in the future. Gamesbond and underDOGS have been amazing partners and creative collaborators to help us bring this game to audiences worldwide.”

    The Chakra: World Siege game launch coincided with the airing of the third Chakra-The Invincible animated TV film, “Chakra: The Mystery of Mighty Girl” which premiered on Cartoon Network. The Indian superhero character is also in development as a theatrical live action Bollywood film, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane and produced by Phantom Films, POW! Entertainment and Graphic India.

    “We are excited with our collaboration with Graphic India and underDOGS studio for the Chakra game and the instant success it has seen will help us strengthening our collaboration towards investing more in the partnership. The Chakra franchise is quite popular among kids and the game is designed in a way that even a 5 year old kid will be able to understand, play and stay engaged”, says Mauj Mobile VP – products Anshul Singhal.

    Talking about their plans he added, “We believe that with our understanding of the gaming consumers and distribution strengths; we are the ideal publishing partners for local IP owners and game developers towards creating and sustaining a successful game for the Indian users”

  • 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.

  • Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    MUMBAI: Graphic India has announced the hire of veteran animation executive, Narendra Deshpande as senior vice president of production and animation. Deshpande will work closely with Graphic India’s Co-Founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajanand its EVP, Creative, Jeevan J. Kang, to scale up Graphic’s original animation production across television and digital platforms.

    “Narendra brings to Graphic India two decades of animation production experience and excellence and it’s our great honor to have him join us in our mission to create original Indian characters and stories that captivate the imaginations of audiences around the world,” said Devarajan. “With an ever increasing number of new animated shows in production and development, Narendra will oversee our production scale-up and build a world-class execution pipeline.”

    “After an enriching journey of 20 years in the animation industry, having learned a lot from each and every experience, I am now joining Graphic India with new hope and a new dream. With the intention to be more perfect, acquire more knowledge with open arms andaim to achieve great heights,” added Desphande. “With my dedication, devotion to my work and a bagful of new ideas, I had heard that if you ‘Choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’, and that’s exactly what I am going to do as pleasure in work gives perfection. I believe in hard work to get desired results. No gains without pains. Looking forward to a fantastic time at Graphic India.”

    Graphic India is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through animation, comics and digital platforms. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 500 million people under the age of 25 and more than 900 million mobile phone users in the country.

    The Company’s animated shows include, Chakra The Invincible, with superhero icon, Stan Lee and has appeared on Cartoon Network/Toonami as well as the Angry Birds ToonsTV platform.

    Phantom Films recently announced a partnership with Graphic for a live-action Bollywood film based on Chakra, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane. They are also also working with acclaimed actor, Amitabh Bachchan on the launch of his first animated series, Astra Force, which will appear on Disney Channel later this year. It was also recently announced that Graphic India is working with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and Arka Media Works to create new content around the hit film,Baahubali.

    Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics LLC, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and NYC Media Group, Start Media.

  • Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    MUMBAI: Graphic India has announced the hire of veteran animation executive, Narendra Deshpande as senior vice president of production and animation. Deshpande will work closely with Graphic India’s Co-Founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajanand its EVP, Creative, Jeevan J. Kang, to scale up Graphic’s original animation production across television and digital platforms.

    “Narendra brings to Graphic India two decades of animation production experience and excellence and it’s our great honor to have him join us in our mission to create original Indian characters and stories that captivate the imaginations of audiences around the world,” said Devarajan. “With an ever increasing number of new animated shows in production and development, Narendra will oversee our production scale-up and build a world-class execution pipeline.”

    “After an enriching journey of 20 years in the animation industry, having learned a lot from each and every experience, I am now joining Graphic India with new hope and a new dream. With the intention to be more perfect, acquire more knowledge with open arms andaim to achieve great heights,” added Desphande. “With my dedication, devotion to my work and a bagful of new ideas, I had heard that if you ‘Choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’, and that’s exactly what I am going to do as pleasure in work gives perfection. I believe in hard work to get desired results. No gains without pains. Looking forward to a fantastic time at Graphic India.”

    Graphic India is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through animation, comics and digital platforms. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 500 million people under the age of 25 and more than 900 million mobile phone users in the country.

    The Company’s animated shows include, Chakra The Invincible, with superhero icon, Stan Lee and has appeared on Cartoon Network/Toonami as well as the Angry Birds ToonsTV platform.

    Phantom Films recently announced a partnership with Graphic for a live-action Bollywood film based on Chakra, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane. They are also also working with acclaimed actor, Amitabh Bachchan on the launch of his first animated series, Astra Force, which will appear on Disney Channel later this year. It was also recently announced that Graphic India is working with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and Arka Media Works to create new content around the hit film,Baahubali.

    Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics LLC, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and NYC Media Group, Start Media.

  • Benedict Cumberbatch to play Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’

    Benedict Cumberbatch to play Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’

    MUMBAI: After months of speculations, the Sherlock famed Benedict Cumberbatch is the final choice for the titular role in Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange, according to media reports.

     

    Slated for release on 8 July 2016, the feature will be directed by Scott Derrickson. Cumberbatch will play Dr Stephen Strange, a former neurosurgeon who, after losing the use of his hands, turns to the mystic arts and the occult. He will serve as the Sorcerer Supreme — the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats.

     

    Doctor Strange made his first appearance in the Marvel Universe in 1963, and was first created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the pages of Strange Tales No 110. He has also been a longtime member of superhero teams like Avengers, and wielded a significant influence as a member of the Illuminati, which included the likes of Professor X, Mister Fantastic, and Iron Man.

     

    For the past few months, some of big Hollywood names have been linked to the role including Joaquin Phoenix, Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, Justin Theroux, Ethan Hawke and Keanu Reeves.

     

    Marvel also plans to release the third Captain America movie along with the feature.

     

    In addition to his well-received ‘Sherlock’ series, for which he won an Emmy this year, he’s earned a great deal of Oscar buzz for his performance as cyberpioneer Alan Turing for The Imitation Game.

  • Marvel releases first full trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy

    Marvel releases first full trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy

    MUMBAI: Marvel Studios unveiled its newest team of superheroes on Tuesday night with the first trailer for the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. The footage for the film, based on the cult Marvel comic, premiered on American Broadcasting Company (ABC)’s late night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

     

    From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits – Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand–with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

     

    Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Dave Bautista (Riddick), featuring Vin Diesel (Fast and Furious) as the voice of Groot, Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) as the voice of Rocket, Golden Globe Award nominee Lee Pace (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), with Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago), Primetime Emmy Award winner Glenn Close (Damages) as Nova Prime Rael and Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro (Traffic) as The Collector.

     

    James Gunn (Thor: The Dark World) is the director of the film with Kevin Feige (Spiderman series) producing, and Louis D’Esposito (The Avengers), Victoria Alonso (Thor), Jeremy Latcham (Iron Man), Alan Fine (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Stan Lee (X-Men: Days of Future Past) serve as executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman and James Gunn, with screenplay by James Gunn. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy releases in U.S. theatres on 1 August 2014.

     

    Check out the world premiere of The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer

  • Stan Lee reveals Spiderman 2 teaser

    Stan Lee reveals Spiderman 2 teaser

    MUMBAI: Comic legend Stan Lee revealed a new Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer via Sony Pictures to begin 2014. The first trailer of the movie was released at the beginning of December and Lee presents the new one where with a one-minute promo for the superhero movie sequel, he tells fans how excited he is to see Spidey back on the big screen again.

     

    In December, it was revealed that the fourth film in the Spider-Man franchise will include Venom and the Sinister Six. There’s signs of the Sinister Six in the trailer as the six doors open up at what we assume is OsCorp.

     

    Andrew Garfield revealed recently that the fourth film wouldn’t exactly be about him, since he’s only currently contracted for three films.

     

    However, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 release date is 2 May, 2014. Stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone will be returning as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, Jamie Foxx (Electro) will also be in the film, along with Sally Fields, Dane DeHaan, Paul Giamatti, and Colm Feore. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 will hit theaters on 10 June, 2016. And, The Amazing Spider-Man 4 will release on 4 May, 2018.

  • Stan Lee, Nathan Fillion honoured at Geekie Awards

    Stan Lee, Nathan Fillion honoured at Geekie Awards

    MUMBAI: Stan Lee and Nathan Fillion were honored with the top prizes at the inaugural Geekie Awards.

     

    The Geekie Awards, held on Sunday evening at Hollywood’s Avalon club, recognises independent creators, artists and filmmakers in the geek world and was created by Kristen Nedopak.

     

    Lee received the lifetime achievement award, which was presented by Seth Green. Fillion was honored with the Geek of the Year award, presented by Samm Levine, Natasha Melnick and Sarah Hagan. Jesse Heiman accepted the award on Fillion’s behalf, giving his best impression of the actor. (Fillion was not present at the awards show.)

     

    Alison Haislip emceed the live stream, while Tara Platt served as the main announcer for the Geekie Awards.