Kartoon Studios, Inc., the controlling partner of Stan Lee Universe, LLC (SLU), has inked a deal with the U.K.’s GFM Animation Limited (10 Lives, X Factor in the Jungle, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie) to develop, finance and produce five animated feature films featuring stories and characters created by comic-book legend Stan Lee.
The partnership will bring to life select properties from the SLU catalog, each project chosen through mutual selection for its potential to appeal to a broad audience demographic and families. GFM has assembled team of L.A.-based writers with previous experience of working across Marvel projects to develop the first scripts, working alongside the GFM team in London and Kartoon Studios. The first three treatments will be ready for presenting to distributors at the forthcoming Cannes Film Festival.
“Through Stan Lee Universe, we are dedicated to continuing the legacy of one of the most iconic and prolific creators in the world, who continues to inspire fans globally with recent mega-hits such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. These new projects, developed from Stan’s original ideas, will introduce his magic to younger generations and continue to engage his loyal fans,” commented Gregg Goldin, SVP, Development & Production, Kartoon Studios. “Our new partner, GFM, has a history of producing quality films for the entire family, and fresh off their successful debut of 10 Lives at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, they continue to prove their expertise in the independent animation landscape. We are excited to partner with them on this ambitious slate of projects.”
“Stan Lee is a singular creator. The stories and characters Stan created and co-created have mesmerized multiple generations of fans across the globe for many decades,” stated Guy Collins, Chairman, GFM Animation. “We are honored to partner with Kartoon Studios and Stan Lee Universe to celebrate Stan’s tremendous contributions to pop culture and entertainment by bringing quality animated films for all ages to big screens around the world.”
