Stan Lee Universe
Genius Brands International announces a transaction to create Stan Lee Universe.
BEVERLY HILLS, California, July 6, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Through an innovative joint venture between Genius Brands International (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ: GNUS) and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, an agreement has been reached to create Stan Lee Universe. Stan Lee Universe will assume the world rights, in perpetuity, of the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live-action animated film, television, online, digital, editorial, comic, merchandising and License Rights over Stan Lee and his past, present and future IP creations *.
Announcing the deal today, Andy Heyward, president and CEO of Genius Brands, said, “There is no grand prize in all of Hollywood. This is the Holy Grail. Stan Lee Universe is a Once in life asset drawn from over 100 original, hitherto unexploited properties created by the most successful IP creator of our time. “
Jointly owned and subject to due diligence and documentation, the agreement will leave Genius Brands as managing partner and controller of Stan Lee Universe joint project.
Stan Lee was the creator of the most successful characters ever created, including Spiderman, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X Men, Thor, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Silver surfer, Ant Man, Nick Fury, Guardians of the Galaxy, and of course the movie box office franchise n. # 1 of all time, The Avengers. For decades, Stan was the publisher and creative force behind Marvel Comics, which sold to the Walt Disney Company for $ 4.4 billion and has since proven to be worth many multiples of that amount.
In addition to the box office success of the film n. ° 1, Avengers EndgameStan Lee created two of the Walt Disney Company’s three blockbustersand five of the 12 highest grossing movies of all time.
“It is almost impossible to conceive of a mind creating all this wealth,” Heyward said. “Splits alone challenge the imagination. From animated television to toys, clothing, video games, and every imaginable imaginable licensed product, Stan Lee characters populate screens and retail shelves around the world. There is no creator who has influenced pop culture and created more successful entertainment. Not even Walt Disney. Over and over, over and over again, he created characters and stories that resonated in the hearts and minds of all people of all ages around the world, with billions and billions of dollars at the box office, television and consumer products. License.”
Stan Lee Universe It will be created from the repository of all characters and IPs created by Stan Lee, after Marvel Entertainment *, not otherwise. It is drawn from over 100 original Stan Lee creations, of which it will develop and license approximately seven properties per year.
“Having worked with Stan and been a close friend for almost 30 years, nothing could make me feel prouder than Genius Brands to become the guardian of both his brand and body of work,” Heyward said. “I have no doubt that the best characters, best stories and greatest hits from Stan Lee’s mind have yet to be told.. As big as Spider Man, Black Panther, X Men, and the Avengers are today, tomorrow will be Stan Lee TOMORROW MEN, its ROPE BEANS, its BLACK FURYand VIRUS. ”
Former Marvel Productions President Margaret Loesch said: “Stan Lee was one of a kind. So is this asset. Stan Lee Universe It will be an unimaginable source of highly successful entertainment for years to come. “
The former president of Walt Disney Television and content director for the new Genius Brands Kartoon Channel! Said David Neuman, “Opportunities derived for Kartoon Channel! They’re just mind-blowing, including a dedicated Stan Lee Universe program block”
Heyward concluded, “When we look at the depth of these creations found in this library, the magnitude and value of this asset began to slowly sink. There simply isn’t a bigger Intellectual Property treasure chest anywhere. I feel like we went to the basement of the John Lennon and Paul McCartney recording studio and found 200 songs that had never been released. One was called Yesterdayanother was called Hi judeand another call Sergeant Pepper. They just hoped that we would put them on the market, along with their names and similarities, firms and the right to commercialization. the Beatles. It feels so great to us!
“We will create a specific business and creative unit for Stan Lee Universe. For the millions of Stan Lee fans, we look forward to taking advantage of this unique asset and faithfully bringing the characters to licensed movie screens, comics, toys, and products around the world.
“For Genius Brands shareholders, we hope to monetize this asset effectively and intelligently across all platforms. I have no doubt that we will attract the world’s most talented producers, directors, and marketers as we unlock this unique treasure and spawn the next wave of Stan Lee creations for the world to experience and enjoy. We are proceeding immediately with our due diligence and we hope that the final documentation will follow immediately afterwards. ”
About Genius Brands International
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global children’s media company that develops, produces, markets, and licenses branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The company’s award-winning ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes the next Stan Lee Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rainbow Rangers for Nick Jr .; Flame flame, starring Jennifer Garner, for Netflix; award-winning brand for toddlers Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison’s secret laboratory; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, Genius Brands’ IP characters also appear in a wide range of consumer products for the global retail market. The new company Kartoon Channel! It is available in more than 100 million American television homes through a wide range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and more. For additional information, visit www.gnusbrands.com.
Forward-looking statements:
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws. Words like “may”, “power”, “will”, “should”, “believe”, “wait”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “continue”, “predict”, “forecast”, “project”, “” plan “,” intention “or similar expressions, or statements about current intentions, beliefs or expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such forward-looking statements should not be relied upon improperly, which are based on information available to us as of the date of this release These forward-looking statements are based on current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those set forth in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and is not limited to the risk factors related to its patent business, therefore the actual results may be materially different. expressly to any obligation to update or alter the statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or others, except as required by law.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7bb1042d-4ecc-4b93-988e-d35a2cd4948f
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