Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Television have announced plans to double the original 13-episode order for the upcoming animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man. Culver Ent., a Sony Pictures Television company, will now be producing 26 half hours of the Saturday morning superhero action show set to premiere in early 2008 on Kids’ WB! on the CW Network.
The Spectacular Spider-Man picks up Marvel Comics’ Spidey mythology at the beginning of his hero’s journey and finds a 16-year-old Peter Parker struggling with the pressures of teenage life while learning to handle his new-found powers and the various super-villains that threaten the city.
More episodes on the air will afford Marvel and Sony a better opportunity to build a strong merchandising and promotional campaign around the show. Spider-Man Merchandising L.P., a limited partnership between Marvel Ent. and Sony Pictures Consumer Products, was formed to oversee the licensing and merchandising activities for the animated series and Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man feature films.
Gary Wiseman (Gargoyles, The Batman) is serving as supervising producer on The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Victor Cook (Hellboy: Blood and Iron) is producer/supervising director. The series will premiere on Kids’ WB! on The CW during the first quarter of 2008.
