Disney preps Guardians spin-off

MIPJUNIOR: Disney XD and Marvel Television have begun production on an animated spin-off to the sci-fi blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, following box office success this summer.

The series will premiere in 2015 on Disney XD and will feature the same characters introduced in the Marvel Studios film, which made US$94m in its opening weekend in the US in August.

The live-action movie followed a brash adventurer, played by Chris Pratt (Parks & Recreation), who joins forces with a quartet of disparate misfits, including a tree-like humanoid called Groot and rough-edged warrior Drax the Destroyer, to save the universe.

The creative team behind the TV version includes executive producers Alan Fine, Dan Buckley, Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb, alongside co-executive producers such as Stan Lee and Stephen Wacker.

The series will join toons such as Avengers Assemble and Hulk & the Agents of SMASH, both of which were renewed for second seasons earlier this year, on the Mouse House’s Marvel Universe programming block.

Disney, which acquired Marvel for US$4.24bn in 2009, is here at MipJunior gearing up to launch Star Wars Rebels, another animated spin-off to a popular sci-fi franchise.

Disney Channels Worldwide president and chief creative officer Gary Marsh will host a session tomorrow discussing the series, which premieres in the US next week.