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Marvel Entertainment is launching a TV division, Marvel Television, and has appointed Heroes and Smallville writer-producer Jeph Loeb to run it. As EVP and head of television, Loeb will work alongside Dan Buckley, publisher & president of the print, animation & digital divisions of Marvel Worldwide to adapt Marvel characters and stories to television as both live-action and animation series. Additionally, Loeb will oversee the development and distribution of live-action, animated and direct-to-DVD series. Loeb was previously a Marvel-exclusive comic book writer and also did a stint on Lost. Marvel’s rival DC Comics has built a primetime presence through its deal at Warner Bros. TV that has spawned such series as Smallville and Human Target.
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He probably has the most TV experience internally, but judging by his comic book work the past few years, his best years are far behind him…poor choice.
Well, a poor choice for the TV division (assuming that they want to make hit shows and not messy, badly-written flops); but on the other hand, if Loeb’s busy with Marvel TV, maybe he’ll write fewer comics. That’s the silver lining here.
I’m glad producers read this site, so they can see how stupid fanboy nerd-rage looks.
This goes along with the George Lucas post of a few days ago. If you don’t deliver the story they have in their head (and who could when everyone differs?) they throw a two-year old’s fit. Boy-men who never emotionally advanced beyond twelve to put away their comic books.
And that’s why George Lucas is being ripped on, but that’s ironic, because his movies and clone wars tv show are all made for the kids. So, that’s a general statement, and quite an immature one. All I want to see is some mature Marvel live action shows. I’m talking HBO content. Blood, swearing, and hot babes. Don’t do it for the stupid little brats, they have teletoon and cartoon network, it’s time the fans of Marvel got some good ol’ R-rated content on TV that’s from a comic book.
“If you don’t deliver the story they have in their head (and who could when everyone differs?) they throw a two-year old’s fit. Boy-men who never emotionally advanced beyond twelve to put away their comic books.”
When did Goerge Lucas say this? I would like to read it because I belive that he doe’s not understand his own fan base and this will prove it. Thanks.
I’m just going by track record, here: Loeb’s efforts in television have not exactly been knocking it out of the park, have they? And the same is true of his work in comics, where he’s taken on some extremely high-profile properties and managed to drive away readers and get the worst reviews of anything Marvel’s published in the last five years.
He has one great talent as a comics writer, and that’s the fact that he’s an artist’s dream to work with: he sets up some fantastic visual opportunities, largely unshackled by any storytelling agenda. As a writer, though, his best days are definitely behind him, and there’s precious little hope of those days coming back.
I’m not sure what his great talent as a TV writer/producer is. Someone else will have to field that one.
I don’t see Jeph’s sanctimonious/uberdouche attitude mixing well with the no-nonsense toppers at ABC and Disney TV who will be the ultimate gatekeepers for Marvel’s shows getting on the air.
Plus Jeph’s a stiff, preachy writer and was fired for ruining Heroes, a one-time potential billion dollar franchise.
But at least his mandate is clear: to get a Marvel version of Smallville up and running in two years. If he can do that, he’s golden.
I think it’s a good idea for them to expand into TV. Some characters may not sell as a big budget movie, might work as a TV series, either on network or cable. It will also give the makers of the shows the chance to do the sort of involved story arcs that are very hard to pull off in big budget movies.
Good luck to them.
Glad to hear it. We at Marvel will sleep better now. Thank you for your blessing.
LOL! Do you really work there?
And yes, “Furious D” is a TOOL!
And so the empire grows again!
Exciting stuff – I just hope they don’t spread themselves too thinkly. Though I think its a good idea – there are plnty of Marvel characters that woudl work well as TV shows and dont need epic mega bugdet movies.
I always thought Daredevil would work well as a TV show – espeically based off Frank Miller’s Man Without Fear orgini tale… think a mix of Heroes (season 1 of course!), Law & Order, The Wire & Lost! And Matthew Fox as Matt Murdock… sorry I went into fanboy mode there!
How will they handle the animation? Will Disney TV and Disney Toon Studios produce, or will they farm out the work to the lowest bidder, ala Film Roman/Starz?
I’ve interacted with Jeph Loeb personally in my time of running fan sites and although I haven’t been the biggest fan of some of his recent comics work (Ultimates stuff especially – I do kinda like his Red Hulk for the sheer fun of it) I don’t think any of Heroes’ downfall is to blame on him.
He was always one of the show’s biggest supporters, serving as somewhat of an “ambassador” to the show at Comic-Con, which “sold” the show to the comic book fans like myself the summer before the show premiered. I remember hearing stories of how Loeb would be the one to tell Tim Kring what has and hasn’t been done in the comics world before – and that comic influence was definitely lost when Loeb and Jesse Alexander were dropped from the series.
But also – Jeph Loeb has written some really great material on TV. He wrote or co-wrote two of my favorite episodes of Smallville in “Red” and “Insurgence,” and I’m sure if I looked at an episode guide for Heroes I would see his name in the credits for episodes I liked. I think if anyone is going to be representing Marvel in the TV world, Jeph Loeb is probably the best fit. Also, with his years in the TV and movie industry, I’m sure he could recruit some good people into Marvel TV (although I hear his buddy Geoff Johns is busy at another company).
I think (and hope) he gets a good chance at this. I’d love to see a Marvel-based series on TV already. Yeah Heroes was interesting at one time – but to use actual characters from the comics is even better.
Wasn’t there a short lived BLADE TV show?
Okay, so Jeph Loeb ruined Heroes and his recent comics have been lusters of lack. Sure, he’s no Geoff Johns or Jason Aaron. I can honestly forgive all that. Honestly. Because I know, in all my heart, that the man has it in him to churn out some quality product if he is working on it from the ground up.
Also, Fox as Murdock? I’d second the shit outta that if Fox weren’t already so old.
Loeb is one of the worst things to happen to comics in recent years.
On TV, he’s been responsible for some of the worst superhero-related programming of the last 20 years. He had a hand in what happened to Heroes and, despite it’s longevity, took Smallville after it’s interesting, character-driven first season and turned it into typical “monster of the week” dreck.
He’s very much a leech that shows up when there’s money to be made and sucks all the blood out until said product is dead.
This works for me…I just hope some QUALITY shows come of it
Marvel would kill for their own Smallville. Big in DVD sales, big in the growing Latin America and Spanish language markets, big cash machine, and a great big platform to launch new intellectual property into the public eye.
DC was such a mess that they could never effectively utilize a platform like that, but Marvel would have used it as a launching pad in all kinds of directions. New TV shows, movie spinoffs, introductions to small comic books, merchandising lines, video games, crossovers, and multi-platform events. Marvel won’t drop the ball on their own Smallville.
can see Jeph using his tv experiance to help Marvel which means no more comic work for him for a long time any more. and would not be surprised if one of his projects is the red hulk like a direct to dvd film. or a new hulk tv series would be cool. also. besides Disney will have the final say on how the characters are done as tv shows which means if Jeph tries to pull a heroes its back out of the tv game. again
Nerd notes:
It’s funny that Loeb has been a kind of mentor/partner to Geoff Johns and now they both have similar jobs at Marvel and DC. Do they still share the same writing studio?
Jeph Loeb has been hosting the Smallville Comic-Con panel. Will he still do that this year, even though he is now the Marvel Grand Poobah?
The win here is that an experienced comics and TV writer has a Television mandate and a D2DVD mandate. Those D2DVD movies are a great entree into television sales and are sold worldwide (read “they are a goldmine when the ROI is factored in).
You continue the animated movies and add a couple of live-action D2DVD movies in there to test the waters — and you have a solid way to get series on air. I for one would like to see a BLACK WIDOW movie or an IRON FIST done in the same budget range as you see for those BEHIND ENEMY LINES sequels. Or how about a WHITE TIGER movie for the Spanish speaking market?
And if Marvel’s TV arm is structured like Sony’s – they could do some Internet series to DVD / VOD / Cable like Sony did with ANGEL OF DEATH. Lot’s of possibility here and I hope Marvel doesn’t pigeon-hole itself…
Loeb is not a good writer or conceptual guy. Creatively, I’d choose Jim Shooter (who launched Valiant) or James Robinson (Starman, Firearm from Malibu). As noted above, Loeb’s creative failings are problematic.
BUT … this is what an integrated Media company is supposed to do. Integrate and use various characters and situations they own in ways that creates enhanced value. From Comic books to toys to games to tv shows to movies. In a consistent, “Universe” way.
Disney/Marvel is doing this (in reverse of Time-Warner/DC) because the money if done right is pretty lucrative.
My own suggestion would be to use the Malibu line. Marvel owns it, its not creating any value just sitting dormant, and could be integrated into the larger Marvel Universe.
Robinson’s Firearm is a good start, an ordinary powered Special Boat Services vet up against superpowered villains (and interfering heroes). Prime (a Captain Marvel derivative), Hardcase, Prototype, Night Man, and so on. Most of the superheroes and villains don’t cost that much to CGI-animate/costume. They are not over-used, or lower-tier like a lot of Marvel’s lesser heroes. Its an opportunity to try out new writers, and new ways of making TV productions cheaper.
And YOU’RE an idiot.
Daredevil, Luke Cage, Punisher, Dr. Strange, Cloak and Dagger… these would all make excellent shows.
I would give just about anything to see “Alter Ego,” a concept that has been in “development” for years based on Brian Michael Bendis’s Alias series. It would be an incredible cable series. I’m definitely thinking FX.
The obvious counterpart to Smallville, would be to do a high school Peter Parker / Spider-Man show. However, the movie reboot is already doing that, so Marvel can’t use that. Which begs the question, what other Marvel character can carry a show for ten years? DC is trying to set up Blue Beetle for their next Smallville, to which the mainstream asks “Blue who?” He couldn’t even carry his own comic book title.
Getting back to Marvel, someone above mentioned Daredevil. That might work, but it also could be similar to Human Target, which is bombing and about to be canceled after only two seasons. However, if they configure Daredevil as a superhero CSI show, it could be very successful. TV audiences can not get enough of those police procedurals. However, if Marvel does that, comic book fans will pitch a huge fit about the show not being faithful to the source.
The obvious counterpart to Smallville, would be to do a high school Peter Parker / Spider-Man show. However, the movie reboot is already doing that, so Marvel can’t use that. Which begs the question, what other Marvel character can carry a show for ten years? DC is trying to set up Blue Beetle for their next Smallville, to which the mainstream asks “Blue who?” He couldn’t even carry his own comic book title.
Getting back to Marvel, someone above mentioned Daredevil. That might work, but it also could be similar to Human Target, which is bombing and about to be canceled after only two seasons. However, if they configure Daredevil as a superhero CSI show, it could be very successful. TV audiences can not get enough of those police procedurals. However, if Marvel does that, comic book fans will pitch a huge fit about the show not being faithful to the source,
it would be awesome if they did a generation x tv show
If the legal matters have been resolved and Marvel wants the “Smallville” demographic audience, then Strikeforce: Morituri might be the way to go. Most of the main cast would be 18-21. Huge potential with this project. Just expand the lifespan of Morituri process and make it a gamble. Just knowing that one of your favorite characters could bite the dust any season, any episode, would keep me glued to the set. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce_Morituri. They could also retool the Marvel/New Universe/ “Justice” into a cool crime series. A law-enforcing knight from another dimension, who can read auras, and can wield various energy powers, partnered with a modern day female cop. Both have their own code of justice. Instant conflict and chemistry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_%28New_Universe%29
“A law-enforcing knight from another dimension, who can read auras, and can wield various energy powers, partnered with a modern day female cop. Both have their own code of justice. Instant conflict and chemistry.”
Wait, isn’t this ROM: SPACEKNIGHT?
what i want you to do is cast the right actors for the new hulk tv show. don’t cast bana or ruffalo because they are too cheap instead put Edward Norton or sharlto copley as Bruce Banner now.
And cast lou ferrigno as the hulk in the new hulk tv show. don’t reboot the new hulk tv show.