Several days ago,
The Hollywood Reporter gave us a nice introduction of what to expect at this year's Licensing International Expo, an amalgam of companies showing off their future products. According to Steven Ekstract, group publisher at License! Global magazine,
"Hollywood has never been more obsessed with producing films featuring branded characters that have currency with the widest possible audiences." In two words: movie merchandise; and by that they mean tent-pole superhero movies!
One of the statements in THR's article
really caught my attention, though:
"The focus [of Warner Bros] is Green Lantern, which the studio hopes will light up box office and merchandise business in 2011."
This reiterates what was discussed at the
Time Warner shareholder meeting held last week; in which
Green Lantern was a major talking point.
Variety caught up with producer, Donald De Line, who expanded on the cross-marketing concept:
"The Green Lantern film has an incredibly wide merchandise appeal. The potential is there for amazing toys and merchandise because Green Lantern's ring can create anything the imagination can conjure."
Even Tim Kilpin of Mattel Brands understands the potential for mass Green Lantern appeal,
"The beauty of Green Lantern is that he is an inspirational superhero with a rich, unmatched heritage that will appeal to boys of all ages."
With this new tidbit of information in hand, I made contact with a source in Warner's public relations department who was gracious enough to share this information:
"...expect as much 'Green Lantern' merchandise as they can squeeze in at this years expo. You should be pleasantly surprised at how many test items are going to be showcased."
With the film still in production in New Orleans, LA, what could they possibly have ready to display at the Expo? Action figures, fast food tie-ins and kid friendly attire are some of the first ideas that come to mind. But how will we be sure what is shown is actually associated with the film and won't be a reference to the popular on-going Green Lantern comic series?
"You can't miss the [movie] logo, it will be on everything."
Not to be outdone, DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer and fan-favorite author Geoff Johns added this,
"Mattel's Green Lantern toy program is going to introduce Green Lanterns like Hal Jordan and Kilowog to new fans everywhere. It is going to be amazing to watch the world discover the Green Lantern mythology." One note that should make every Green Lantern fan happy is the confirmation that every movie related action figure will come with a wearable ring replica.
What an exciting time to be a comic book movie fan indeed!
If you live in or around the Las Vegas area and would like to attend the Expo between June 8th - 10th, you can find all the relevant information
HERE. While you're there, make sure to stop by the Warner Bros display area, conveniently located close to Paramount's (Marvel Studios' movie distribution partner):
To read the rest of the press release, which mentions new toy lines for Batman: The Brave and the Bold as well as others, click HERE.