DC Comics, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation Announce a Slate of "DC Universe" Original, Animated Movies Created for DVD; Films to Be Written and Directed by Acclaimed Comic Book Creators and Animators
BURBANK, Calif. -- July 24, 2006 -- DC Comics -- the world's largest English-language publisher of comic books and the home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman -- Warner Home Video (WHV) and Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) have announced the start of production and distribution of "DC Universe," a series of original, animated PG-13 movies. The announcement was jointly made by Paul Levitz, President, DC Comics; Ron Sanders, President, Warner Home Video and Sander Schwartz, President, Warner Bros. Animation.
The films will be made by DC Comics' creators, including award-winning writer/artist Darwyn Cooke (The New Frontier; Catwoman) and legendary writer Marv Wolfman (The New Teen Titans), along with Bruce Timm (Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Animated Series) and Tom DeSanto (executive producer of the first two X-Men films and producer of the forthcoming Transformers feature), two acclaimed producers who have been instrumental in the creation of some of the most successful translations of the comic book experience into other media. Writer/producers Duane Capizzi (The Batman, The Batman vs. Dracula) and Stan Berkowitz (Justice League) will also be part of the creative team on the DC Universe films, with Timm serving as supervising producer on each of the titles. Working with WBA's award-winning group of animators, the writers will utilize DC Comics' vast history and tradition as they adapt classic comic book stories for the project.
WHV will be the exclusive worldwide home entertainment distributor for all DC Universe movies which will include a slate of 2-3 action-packed films per year. To kick off this impressive venture, WHV, WBA and DC Comics are proud to announce the first three films to be released in late 2007/early 2008:
-- Justice League: New Frontier - written by Stan Berkowitz (Justice League), with Darwyn Cooke serving as story and visual consultant
-- Superman: Doomsday - produced by Bruce Timm and written by Duane Capizzi, from a story by Timm & Capizzi
-- Teen Titans: The Judas Contract - written by Marv Wolfman and Tom DeSanto, produced by DeSanto.
"We are working closely with WHV and WBA to insure that the films honor the legacy of our great heroes. And we are lucky to have Marv Wolfman and Darwyn Cooke, two of the writers who created the source material for the films, involved in the project," said DC Comics President & Publisher Paul Levitz. "The creators bring a passion for the material and a level of creative ambition that will resonate with both DC Comics' fans who treasure the original stories and adults who love adventure, heroics and top-notch animation."
"We are thrilled to announce this unprecedented venture with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation," said Ron Sanders, President, Warner Home Video. "This initiative is a testament to our commitment to bringing fans new and innovative content created by the most revered names in the comic industry."
"As producers of the finest animation in the action/adventure genre, we are very excited about bringing the iconic DC Comics characters to an ever broader audience through this series of films," said Sander Schwartz, President, Warner Bros. Animation. "We've teamed with the greatest authors, artists, producers and directors working in comic book publishing and animation to bring great pictures to life for the current generation of fans and for many generations to come."
Other DC properties with films in development include Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman.
DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC Super Heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics' Web site is located at http://www.dccomics.com.
With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Home Entertainment.
Warner Bros. Animation has been producing award-winning original animation since 1930, when it released its first cartoon, "Sinking in the Bathtub." Since then, Warner Bros. Animation's characters have set the standard for innovative, quality animation. Producing for network and cable television, online, home video and feature films both domestically and internationally, Warner Bros. Animation is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as maintaining the studio's rich cartoon heritage. Warner Bros. Animation is one of the most honored animation studios in history, garnering a grand total of 34 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents' Choice Award, a Humanitas Award, two Prism Awards and 19 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
Justice League, Batman Beyond and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and (C) 2006 DC Comics.
