Disney Deals with Stan Lee
Mouse House Signs Multi-Year First Look Contract With Marvel Legend
(Source: www.comingsoon.net)
The Walt Disney Company has signed an exclusive first look contract with Stan Lee's Purveyors of Wonder (POW!) Entertainment, announced Disney chairman Dick Cook.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Disney gets to see whatever Lee and POW! are working on before anyone else does, and decide whether or not they want a piece of it.
"As the father of such renowned comic book heroes as Spider-Man, The Hulk, X-Men among others, Stan is considered one of the most creative and inventive forces in the industry today," said Cook in his announcement. "His innate talent of tapping into the human qualities of his super hero characters has certainly struck a chord with generations of audiences and readers around the world. We are honored to be working with someone as formidable as Stan and his production company and welcome them to the Disney family."
"It's like the realization of a dream," responded Lee. "Ever since I was a young boy, Disney represented the best and most exciting film fare to me. And now, many decades later, with movies such as their incredible Pirates of the Caribbean spectaculars, Disney is still at the forefront of family entertainment, excelling in live action, animation, TV, theme parks -- whatever it takes to bring fun and fantasy to audiences everywhere. I look forward with indescribable enthusiasm to being a part of that world and contributing whatever I can to keep the legend alive and growing."
"Stan is not only loved by fans of the genre, but is one of the most respected and admired figures in the entertainment industry," said Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. "In fact, it's hard to think of another individual who has created as many memorable and appealing characters. We're thrilled that Stan has decided to make Disney his new home, and feel very fortunate to be collaborating with him on a wide range of new projects for all divisions of our company. His track record is impressive by any measure, and Home Entertainment is sure to benefit from his creations."
Chapek was instrumental in bringing Disney and POW! together, and will act as liaison between the two companies.
"Stan Lee is a living legend in the world of pop culture and his characters and stories have been the inspiration for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters," gushed Oren Aviv, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production. "We're very excited to be working with him and his talented team in creating some incredible new motion picture experiences. Stan has so many fantastic new ideas for films, and we can't wait to get started."
"There can be no better opportunity to perpetuate the Stan Lee/Pow! brand for all media than to be associated with the Disney Studio," said Gill Champion, Chief Operating Officer of POW!. "No one better understands the incalculable value and importance of developing, producing, distributing and marketing new global franchises. We are incredibly impressed with the professionalism and valuable input from the executive and creative talent whom we now so eagerly join."
Stan Lee is best known as the former editor and publisher at Marvel Comics, where he created or co-created Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Daredevil, Doctor Strange and many other classic comic characters.
Lee, along with Champion and Arthur Leiberman, formed POW! back in 2005. Their productions include the Sci-Fi Channel made-for-TV movie Stan Lee's Lightspeed, the "reality" show Who Wants to be a Superhero?, plus the animated direct-to-DVD features Stan Lee's Mosaic and Stan Lee Presents: The Condor. The company also claimed to be working with former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr on an as-yet-untitled project.
