Since being acquired by Disney, Marvel have ramped up production on their animated projects which is good news for Eric Rollman who has headed Marvel Animation for six years. Here, he talks about what they're planning next as well as what it's like to work alongside Disney.
On Marvel's Animation Plans:
"Marvel is very bullish on animation and has fully funded its third 52-episode series. In the past, we never did that and the great thing about being part of the Disney family is that the company is made up of animators. They respect it and understand that it's animation that drives consumer products, and so our strategic business is the same."
On What We Can Expect To See From Them:
"We have a prime time series called Marvel Knights, which deals with more adult themes. The tagline reads, 'Move over kids, daddy's watching Marvel.'"
Interestingly, the site also reports that Marvel "...is expected to roll out new adaptations of The Hulk, Iron Man and Spider-Man, as well as lesser-known characters such as Black Panther, Nighthawk and Tigra.
On Teaming With Japan's Madhouse Studios:
"Madhouse has said that it is willing to work with us and interpret the characters into animé. We've really let Madhouse run free with it, as long as it respects the integrity of the characters. It's going to reach very broadly and tie in with lots of pieces of the culture there.
Also according to the site, the series' that they're working on will be, "...released in Japan this year and across the rest of the world in 2011."