Genius Brands International Announces Transaction to Create “Stan Lee Universe”

Genius Brands Will Control New Joint Venture Drawing from Over 100 Original Stan Lee Creations

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Through a groundbreaking joint venture between Genius Brands International (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ:GNUS) and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, an agreement has been struck to create Stan Lee Universe. Stan Lee Universe will assume worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live-action and animated motion picture, television, online, digital, publishing, comic book, merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and his IP creations past*, present, and going forward. 

In announcing the deal today, Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands, said that, “In all of Hollywood, there is no greater prize. This is the Holy Grail. Stan Lee Universe is a once in a lifetime asset drawn from over 100 original, heretofore unexploited properties, created by the most successful creator of intellectual property of our time.”

Jointly owned and subject to due diligence and documentation, the deal will leave Genius Brands as the managing and controlling partner of the Stan Lee Universe joint venture.

Stan Lee was the creator of the most successful characters ever made, including Spiderman, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X Men, Thor, Captain America, Ms. Marvel,  Silver Surfer, Antman, Nick Fury, Guardians of the Galaxy, and of course the #1 movie box-office franchise of all time, The Avengers.  For decades, Stan was the editor and creative force behind Marvel Comics, which was sold to the Walt Disney Company for $4.4 billion and has since proved to be worth many multiples of that amount. 

In addition to the #1 movie box office hit, Avengers Endgame, Stan Lee created two of the Walt Disney Company’s top three blockbusters, and five of the top 12 grossing movies of all time. 

“It’s almost impossible to conceive that one mind created all this wealth,” said Heyward. “The spinoffs alone defy the imagination.  From animated television, to toys, apparel, video games, and every conceivable licensed product imaginable, Stan Lee characters populate the screens and retail shelves worldwide. There is no creator who has influenced pop culture and created more successful entertainment. Not even Walt Disney. Over and over, again and again, he created characters and stories that resonated in the hearts and minds of all peoples of all ages around the world, with billions and billions and billions of dollars of motion picture box-office, television, and consumer product licensing.”