Disney XD Gets A New MEGA MAN Animated Series In 2017

I haven't played any of the games on Nintendo since Nintendo was a thing, on top of having watched Mega Man as an animated series in the 90's. Frankly though, I had always wished for a live action feature film to arise and Hollywood seemed to be able to do that at the time, at least in my opinion.

Of course for a niche that has been rather sensitive toward studios getting their favorite properties right for live-action, I can certainly understand why a studio would seek other venues. Alas, Mega Man is heading back to television in two years according to an announcement from Dentsu Entertainment USA to premiere on Disney XD in time for its 30th anniversary. I suppose this may will be fun too.

SANTA MONICA, CA – Dentsu Entertainment USA has partnered with Man of Action Entertainment to develop a 26-episode animated series based on Capcom’s iconic video game franchise Mega Man™ for the global market, it was announced today by Yuichi Kinoshita, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc.  Under terms of the deal, Dentsu Entertainment holds worldwide broadcast and licensing rights for all aspects of the new Mega Man TV series.  

Dentsu handpicked Man Of Action Entertainment, creators of Ben 10 and Generator Rex, to create, write and executive produce the all-new Mega Man animated series.  Disney/Marvel's Academy Award®-winning feature Big Hero 6 utilized the characters and team created by Man of Action, the bi-coastal creative studio and writers' collective formed by creators and acclaimed comic book writers Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle.  Marvel called upon Man of Action to produce and write Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel's Avengers Assemble for their successful launches on Disney XD.  The new Mega Man series has a target air date of 2017, coinciding with the franchise’s 30th anniversary. 

“We are very excited about the opportunity to introduce an all-new Mega Man to loyal fans and kids,” said Kinoshita, commenting on the deal.  “Having a celebrated character from Japan reimagined by Man Of Action is the ideal project for Dentsu Entertainment USA.” 

Man of Action's Rouleau said, “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 franchise is grounded in a series of video games, first launched in 1987, featuring battles fought by the eponymous blue robot protagonist and an ongoing cast of allies and enemies.  The Mega Man multiverse has spawned over 130 video games on multiple gaming systems, selling over 30 million copies worldwide, as well as a plethora of toys, comics and collectibles.  A highly-rated Mega Man TV series was popular in the USA in the 1990s and aired for several seasons.

H/T: Capcom-Unity