Cartoon Network, Joel Silver, and Dark Castle Entertainment will be bringing the network’s super popular Ben 10 show to life as a live-action movie. Here’s the scoop from Cartoon Network:
The movie, which will be produced by Silver, along with Dark Castle Entertainment co-presidents Steve Richards and Andrew Rona, gives Silver and his production company the exclusive rights to develop and package the property and advance it towards a theatrical production.
“I cannot think of anyone better suited than Joel Silver to develop a theatrical action-driven adventure based on our BEN 10 franchise,” said president and COO of Turner Broadcasting System Inc.’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division (AYAKM) Stuart Snyder. “As a producer of mega-hit movie franchises like, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and The Matrix, to the successes of Sherlock Holmes and The Book of Eli, Joel has both the passion and movie-making know-how to turn Ben 10 into a spectacular theatrical experience for our fans.”
“In Ben 10, Cartoon Network has built a property that is loved across the world,” said Silver. “It has a fun premise with a great leading character that lends itself to the big screen, and I am looking forward to seeing how we can take it to the next level.”
Created by Man of Action (Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau, Steve Seagle), the series about a boy (Ben Tennyson) who discovers a strange wristwatch that allows him to transform into 10 different aliens with superpowers premiered on Cartoon Network in January 2006 and quickly became a global hit, reaching more than 165 countries. With these powers, Ben can play the part of a superhero, righting wrongs, saving the world and getting into some old-fashioned kid-style trouble.
A #1 hit for the network on Saturday mornings, the Ben 10 saga continued to expand as a series, first with Ben 10: Alien Force in April 2008 and then with Ben 10: Ultimate Alien in spring 2010, now airing on Friday nights.
