Archie Comics Signs With CAA, Dreaming of Stardom
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Deals, Fandom, Family Films, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Will Archie and Jughead be the new Optimus Prime and Megatron? Archie Comics Publications and CAA hope so. According to Variety, the two companies have signed a deal in the hopes of creating film and television franchises, reasoning that if it worked for Mattel and Hasbro, it'll work for Archie and Veronica.Of course, Archie Comics isn't limited to just the redheaded teen and his wholesome pals. They also own Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Cosmo the Merry Martian, Super Duck, and Dotty and Ditto. It's not clear whether this deal would include the Archie characters that DC licensed as part of its Impact line (guys like The Black Hood, and The Comet) but I'm guessing that CAA's representation is limited only to their retro, in-need-of-an-update faces.
So, can Archie or Cosmo the Merry Martian become hot properties? Archie & Friends still gets a lot of love from comic book fans, but when I try to picture someone making a movie out of the happy-go-lucky series it just looks like Scooby-Doo. Sabrina and the Teenage Witch worked with a modern makeover, but Josie and the Pussycats crashed and burned. To these weary and modern eyes, the rest of them seem hopelessly outdated. I can see how a Mattel property becomes a CG summer blockbuster, but Cosmo the Merry Martian? Not so much. Just because it was a comic book property doesn't mean it's adaptable.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-22-2009 @ 11:31AM
Chet said...
Sure, Archie could work -- reinterpreted for the times, through the American Pie / Superbad filter. The "Archie" name would just be there for vague name recognition by some, and it's a built-in story for some free press, because adaptations of "classic" or "beloved" anythings get more attention than technically-original works. How does it compare to the book/comic/cartoon/toy? Is it faithful? What do the fans think? Hey, there's a logo some people have seen before.
It's just a branding thing, needed in this age of gross-half-the-budget-opening-weekend-or-die exhibition, and even mediocre or disused brands are better than unknown brands when the soup in the can is just another kind of chicken noodle.
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9-22-2009 @ 11:48AM
Ryan said...
FYI ... Transformers and GIJoe are from Hasbro, Mattel's largest competitor.
Ryan
Seibertron.com
http://www.seibertron.com
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9-22-2009 @ 3:56PM
Elisabeth said...
I know -- the original trade article cited Hasbro and Mattel as two brands benefiting from this kind of deal, and I neglected to mention some of the Mattel deals that CAA has brokered. Edited for clarity.