Cartoon Network has signed an agreement with producer Joel Silver and Silver Pictures to develop a live-action motion picture for its globally successful animated action-adventure property, “Ben 10,” it was announced today by Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Broadcasting System Inc.’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division (AYAKM). 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 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 wrist watch that allows him to transforms into 10 different aliens with super powers, 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.
“Ben 10” has also spawned a highly successful and award winning global merchandise line including the recent Toy of the Year at the annual BTHA Awards in London and two live-action movies for television, which set new ratings records for Cartoon Network. “Ben 10” is the #1 brand for all of Cartoon Network in electronic sell-through, which includes iTunes, Xbox, PlayStation and Comcast on Demand. Online, the “Ben 10 Alien Force Game Creator” lets kids build their own web games and share them with the world. To date, users have posted more than 790 million gameplays since launch, with more than 6.6 million games created by fans.
