Mega Man: Man of Action Producing New TV Series for the Blue Bomber
Everyone’s favorite Blue Bomber, Mega Man (better known as Rockman in his country of origin, Japan), is returning to TV with a new series that is being produced by Man of Action Entertainment, the creative studio and writers behind such hit shows as Ben 10, Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man and many more. Dentsu Entertainment USA announced the new series in an official press release earlier today. Dentsu Entertainment USA and Man of Action Entertainment are partnering to develop a new 26-episode animated series based on Capcom’s Mega Man video game franchise. The show is being developed for the global market, and Dentsu will hold worldwide broadcast and licensing rights for the show.
Man of Action Entertainment will create, writer and executive produce the new series. The show is targeted for a 2017 airdate to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Mega Man franchise, which debuted in 1987. The Mega Man franchise has sold more than 30 million copies around the world and has inspired various toys, comics, collectibles and other animated shows. Capcom and Ruby-Spears Productions previously produced an animated Mega Man TV series for western audiences that aired for two seasons and 27 episodes in the 1990s.
Dentsu Enteratinment President and CEO Yuichi Kinoshita said on the announcement: “We are very excited about the opportunity to introduce an all-new Mega Man to loyal fans and kids. Having a celebrated character from Japan re-imagined by Man Of Action is the ideal project for Dentsu Entertainment USA.”
Man of Action’s Duncan Rouleau added: “The 1990s Mega Man TV series was cool and different than other series targeted at kids during that time. It featured great action, but also brought the laughs. Mega Man is a character that is even more relevant for today’s kids and we are really looking forward to creating something new that still respects the long tradition of the character.”
The Mega Man video game franchise has been dormant for quite some time. However, Capcom has been more than willing to license the character and the franchise out as of late. Mega Man recently appeared in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. game for 3DS and Wii U. This included his own dedicated Amiibo figurine. In 2011, Archie Comics began publishing a new ongoing Mega Man comic book series that adapted the stories of the original video games into comic book form.
As mentioned earlier, this will not be the first piece of animation for the Mega Man franchise. There was the 1990s animated TV series, and there have also been Japanese anime versions as well. Man of Action definitely has a handle on producing fun, toyetic, action-adventure cartoon shows, including with established brands and IPs. It will definitely be interesting to see what Man of Action comes up with.