In case you missed it earlier this morning, Valiant Comics has announced that it will once again begin comic production next year.
The following is a small portion of the official press release...
Valiant Entertainment, the character-based entertainment company with more than 1,500 characters in its library, announced it will reintroduce the critically acclaimed Valiant Universe in print and digital comics in 2012. Valiant has hired accomplished industry executives and creative talent to expand its management team. The first announcement is that former Marvel CEO and Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo has assumed the role of Chairman of Valiant.
Since the time of this announcement CBR has had the good fortune to speak with CEO Jason Kothari and new Chairman of Valiant Entertainment Peter Cuneo. One of the things I found interesting was that with the announcement being made only this morning, the topic of future films is already being kicked around. What follows are just a few interesting pieces of that interview.
As a follow up, what specific parts of your work with Marvel and the Marvel business model do you hope to carry into your relationship with Valiant? Are there ways in which this company will be fundamentally different for you outside of the sheer scale of the operations? What are those?
Cuneo: Although we might say we are the proverbial gnat on the elephant’s back, the Marvel business model which was created in the late '90s and through the last ten years should also be very relevant to Valiant.
Some of our central beliefs at Valiant are worth mentioning. We think the comic book industry is the best means to nurture and grow characters that can expand into other mass media channels. We recognize that comic book retailers are the key ingredient for success. They are the blood that
runs through the veins of this industry. We believe that this can only be achieved if our content is highly imaginative and is unafraid to explore new creative approaches. We do think film is the best way to promote and create excitement for our characters with consumers worldwide. Most important, we will be focused on aligning Valiant with the best talent, old and new, to accomplish our goals.
One thing Valiant was always known for was unity. The events within the individual titles often impacted and reflected each other. In what ways will the new comics published by Valiant work to present this idea? Is there any fear that you could do too much at the start considering the state of the economy and the market?
Kothari: In periods of economic downturn, people want to escape more and comic books may actually benefit from this. Either way, though, we are not concerned, as we have strong financial partners, and we believe that comic books are here to stay. As long as the companies in this business have high levels of creativity, it will be a vibrant and healthy industry.
It's early yet, but I know you've been working on various Hollywood projects tied to the characters in recent years, including a rumored Harbinger film from Brett Ratner. Any updates on that front?
Kothari: Valiant has a number of major motion picture projects in development with Hollywood’s leading producers and directors. We will provide more details at the appropriate time.
Hawksblueyes: Which Valiant characters (if any) are you most looking forward to seeing again? Which ones would you like to see in their very own feature film?
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