Kartoon Studios & GFM Animation To Produce Animated Features From Stan Lee Universe
Kartoon Studios, who currently own the rights to Stan Lee Universe, has partnered with UK-based GFM Animation to produce a series of animated films based on the IP of the legendary comic book creator. The first two films, Heroes At Large and Silver Sentinel, are set to debut in 2027.
Stan Lee is, of course, best known for being one of the founding fathers of Marvel Comics’ Silver Age, having created iconic characters such as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The Fantastic Four. What is probably less known is that the rights to all things Stan Lee-related are owned by Kartoon Studios.
Stan Lee had gone on to create many other properties after his work at Marvel Comics, including Stan Lee’s Mighty 7, for the company he co-founded, POW! Entertainment. Lee passed away in 2018, and in 2020, Genius Brands acquired not only POW! Entertainment’s IP but also exclusive rights to everything Stan Lee (including his signature). Lee’s IP is collectively known as Stan Lee Universe. Genius Brands, now known as Kartoon Studios, Inc, has such a strong claim to Lee’s likeness that Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Theme Parks had to sign a deal with them to use anything directly related to Stan the Man. Now, Kartoon Studios seeks to bring aspects of Stan Lee Universe to the big screen.
The big question is, given Stan Lee’s strong ties to the world of comic book superheroes, can we expect something along those lines from these movies? It’s hard to tell at this stage, but probably. Heroes At Large is about two family men who are electrical repairmen that have to fight the most powerful force in the galaxy. Silver Sentinel features a superhero/mother whose powers begin to decrease as her 14 year old daughter begins developing powers of her own. These descriptions aren’t much to go on, no source material is available, and it’s unknown what, if anything, Stan Lee contributed to these properties.
Despite that, we do know some names attached to the projects. Heroes At Large will be written and directed by Chris Jenkins (Surf’s Up, 10 Lives) while Todd Edwards and Timothy Hooten (Hoodwinked!, Humbugged!) are writing and directing Silver Sentinel.
Founded in 2011, GFM Animation was created by Guy Collins, Fred Hedman, and Michael Ryan. A British production company, GFA is behind such films as The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, 10 Lives, and Duck Duck Goose.
Scripts for both Heroes At Large and Silver Sentinel will be completed this month, and CG production will begin soon after. Both films are set to be released in 2027 while Kartoon Studios and GFM are planning further collaboration on Stan Lee Universe properties.
