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More Details on Disney’s Plans for Marvel Properties
Ah more news about Disney and Marvel joining forces. Tomorrow is the day the deal goes official and ink hits paper. But already there is a nervous buzz about what this means to Marvel.
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Disney’s Robert Iger told the Associated Press yesterday that the company’s plans for Marvel involve using some of the thousands of lesser-known characters in a variety of ways. “Instead of making a $200 million movie and kind of betting the farm on one character, you can develop a television pilot, a television series,” Iger said of Disney’s designs on its new catalog of goodies.I can think of three immediate reasons why that’s the way to go. Number one, Marvel isn’t doing that right now. Its video game market is there, the comics still sell, and there are the movies. But TV has lagged behind the others. So this kind of move would bolster that part of the empire.
So all those over reacting fanboys out there screaming on their myspace pages that Disney is going to nerf Marvel comics can just exhale. Goofy is not going to appear in Avengers.
Marvel owns literally thousands of character ideas that have never even seen print. Disney wants to run with those as well as lesser known or less popular characters to make TV Cartoons, video games and other merchandise. Thats what the House of Mouse does.
And frankly Marvel is not exploiting those characters, so why not? Maybe they don’t have the resources to explore them all. Disney does. Maybe they don’t want to take the risk on them? Disney does. Its not about changing what Marvel is already doing. Its about empowering them with an empire of resources to monetize on their products.
But Marvel will always be Marvel. A separate entity that is owned by Disney. Marvel has no intention of taking the existing franchises that are already in motion in print or in film and taking them in new directions or merging the realities. (Though a Kingdom Hearts style game mixing them would be wicked cool)
Sure, they might take some D-Listers and make a TV series, but they won’t do anything to hurt Marvel as a whole. That just doesn’t make sense to them.
Disney only cares about the money. Not branding the product to their flavour.
NOOOOO!!!! THE END IS NEAR!
Seriously, though. Rodney, your completely right, and have been all along. This is probably a good thing, and won’t have a negative impact on existing Marvel projects.
Hope to see the Incredible Hulk meet Donald Duck someday.
You mean when Howard meets Donald, don’t you?
I personally want to see Scrooge McDuck defend his money bin from Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil.
Well, hopefully the shows will be better now.
POWER PACK seems ideal for some sort of kid -friendly action adventure show in the vein of the first Ben 10. Marvel hasn’t done much at all with those characters since the 80s/early 90s.
I think this is a good idea. Marvel has characters that would fit just about any type of show Disney could think of; Westerns, detective stories, midlevel times, galactic adventures, just about anything you can think of there’s probably a lesser known Marvel character that fits the bill.
This could actually do a lot to breath some life in comic book characters in other media than comics. There’s only so long they can continue to pump out comic book movies featuring the same characters, other characters are eventually going to need to take up some kind of public resonance if Marvel and the industry is to keep the comic-book-as-movies idea fresh.
Example: I was watching a short animated series on Spider-Woman the other day on Hulu, using a new kind of animation that was more akin to comics on film than comics animated or acted out. It was actually very interesting, edgy and adult. I loved it and I loved the character. Marvel has hoards of these characters which could be explored on tv or through animation and eventually become larger franchises unto themselves.
There is no Avengers right now. I couldn’t picture Goofy doing anything with the Dark Avengers though. We aren’t out of the woods on this. When the real Avengers come back, then there could be a Goofy cross over.
You know what? I would totally read a comic with Norman Osborn having to deal with Goofy. Every single Marvel character has made a hobby out of driving him even more insane, why not let ol’ Goofy have a turn at annoying the Green Goblin?
I wonder what will happen to the kid’s show on cartoon network that had all the classic marvel characters on it. Willit be taken off air, or switched to Disney?
I for one like this kind of talk. Perhaps there might be a chance at having a series around a character that could be in the Marvel Films “Avengers” verse? When “Star Trek DS9″ was on the air, it still made references to the ST:TNG films. I can see something like that going on. The characters may not be connected to Avengers, but it would be nice to have those plugs, would it not?
The question is which characters do they have in mind?
I’m kind of hoping for Sleepwalker myself. Someone mentioned Power Pack, which is also a good idea. Or how ’bout really gettin’ nuts and have a show around Doctor Druid?
Hows about Cloak and Dagger, Rocket Raccoon, or maybe even Rom the Space Knight.
ROM The Space Knight!!!!!!!!!
I dunno, that might be a little tricky, since said character was actually licensed to Marvel from Parker Brothers. The comics outlasted the toy (an electronic doll with LED eyes) but once the comic was cancelled, so did the license.
However
Marvel did kind of work around this, having a comic regarding “Rom the Next Generation” so to speak, that being Spaceknights a five-ish miniseries in 2000. That could be interesting-if they keep it in space.
If a pilot was made of any character or set of characters, one has to think in these terms:
1- Marvel characters not under any other studio.
2- Something that could be done on a reasonable budget
3- A character(s), despite being second or third tier, which could have some appeal…maybe even a fanbase of some sort (Moon Knight or Luke Cage, for example)
4- Will this have any connection to Avengers/SHIELD in Marvel films? If so, that’s a plus (at least in Marvel’s eyes)
That’s why I think the mention of Vision & Scarlet Witch might have appeal, or better yet, Hawkeye.
5- One character or several/Ensemble?
A Punisher TV Series …….what do you think Rodney?
I think Punisher is a pretty 2dimensional character and I dont have any interest in him at all.
The character has no appeal at all for me.
Punisher’s a walking gunshop.
I highly doubt the censors allow gore and blood on TV. Unless if that character’s violence is toned down to “CSI:New York” levels . lol.
Well there was a LOT of gunplay on The ATeam and that was back in a day where violence was more restrictive. You couldn’t even say “ass” on TV.
That being said, that is ALL he is. And wouldnt have much else going on that could justify an entire TV series with.
I’d like to see the following Marvel “bench players” characters made into a TV series:
- Moon Knight
- Luke Cage
- Night Thrasher
- Elektra
- ROM The Space Knight
- Thunderbolts
- Cloak and Dagger
- Vision and his Scarlet Witch
Night Thrasher has some strengths for a weekly show. It could also lead into New Warriors if they had a budget. ROM is a problem- unless they go with the updated spinoff of Spaceknights. Vision & Scarlet Witch I think Marvel plans a film after Avengers, but again, that would fit in with a series that also would compliment the “Marvel Movie Universe”.
Luke Cage has potential.
Elektra….no. Not unless FOX drops Daredevil sequel/reboot whatever they are doing with that, like next week.
yeah. Maybe Jennifer Garner revive his TV glory days via Elektra.. but she’s tied up with her daredevil Ben Affleck.
Want to see a comic hit on TV?
1. They should do DAMAGE CONTROL, and a new superhero/supervillain could pop in every once in a while, which would keep the show fresh and interesting…as well as develop interesting spin off shows. Also, the established actors could cameo once in a while, since DC’s tone is quite tongue in cheek…
and…
In the 2008 Iron Man film, a TV ticker in the background of one of the closing scenes briefly mentions that Damage Control are rebuilding the area in which the film’s climatic fight scene took place.
2. S.H.I.E.L.D. - Both of these ideas are springboards to bring “new” characters to life…SHIELD has had so many members it’d be hard to choose but that’s what makes it interesting becuase they can easily spin off into their own shows/movies.
Another thing I haven’t heard mentioned here is most people hear Disney and think cable (i.e. Hannah Montana, HSM, Jonas Bros), but remember that DIsney also owns ABC, which has a big show to replace next year (LOST), and could throw in a Marvel Property to follow V.
I didn’t mention ABC because I thought it was a given.
You mentioned the winding down of Lost, and the V series, (which is a big “?” in terms of how the network is handling the show. ) I agree that if V returns next fall, a show based around a Marvel Comics character/characters would be nice. However, that pilot would have to get geared up and made in two months or less-if a network wanted a show for next fall season. There are some exceptions, but very few.
The Kingdom-hearts style idea would definately be cool.
I also wouldn’t mind seeing some of the Marvel worlds/characters pop up in an actual Kingdom Hearts game (but only cos I’m a bit of a Kingdom Hearts freak - now THERES a property that deserves a feature film).
I love it. Anything that means more Marvel, but is still true Marvel, gets a big smile from me.
And I have to more then agree that there should be more Marvel cartoon shows. There are so many great Marvel characters, but so few Marvel cartoon shows over the years.
I’d love to see a series done about The Inhumans, Runaways, and/or The Thunderbolts.
I can never get enough good X-Men stories and Wolverine, so anything in that realm would be great too. And a good, new action packed Avengers series to help get people familiar with the characters and excited for the up coming movie. As well as the Thor and Capt. American movies.
Or even better then all of that, if they would do a mini series cartoon version of the X-Men: Age of Apocalypse story line. With really good, dark visual animation and keep the entire thing true to the comic book story, and show it during prime time on like Sci-Fi channel or something like that. Would be one of the best things ever put on TV.
Dr. Strange!!!!
Master of Kung-Fu
Ironfist
Vision
Antman(probally on “honey I shrunk the kids” fast track)
Howard the duck?
Submariner
all these could work
Good things