Marvel reveals international TV plans

Marvel Entertainment is looking to develop superhero TV series outside of the US. This comes after the comic book company revealed that it was planning to roll out its animated programming block internationally.

Marvel was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2009 for US$4 billion and hopes to use Disney’s international infrastructure to launch its TV and film properties.

It launched a Marvel block on US kids channel Disney XD earlier this month with series including Ultimate Spider-Man and the second season for Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Simon Philips, president, Marvel Entertainment International, told TBI that it will be launching this block around the world this year. “We are going to be rolling out the Marvel block internationally,” he said.

Ultimate Spider-Man, which is the first Spider-Man series produced by Marvel, will launch in the UK in June. Philips added that there were plans for a new animated series based on Avengers. The feature film of the Avengers, which stars Robert Downey Jr and Scarlett Johansson, opens later this month in the UK and in the US in May.

Marvel currently produces a number of anime series based on Iron Man, Blade, Wolverine and X-Men for Animax in Japan and is eyeing plans to produce series in other countries, to complement its live action series in development in the States. The company is at various stages of development for series based on The Hulk, produced by Guillermo del Toro, and Aka Jessica Jones for ABC and The Punisher for Fox.