Joe Russo Updates Fans on BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, and GRIMJACK
Anthony and Joe Russo have a number of projects that fans are excited for. These include Battle of the Planets, Magic: The Gathering, and Grimjack. In a recent interview with Collider, Joe was asked about the status of the projects, and in answering the question, he revealed the process that projects undergo. Right now, Battle of the Planets is in the development phase while MTG and Grimjack are in the script phase.
When talking about Battle of the Planets, the filmmaker explained:
“It’s not going to be a direct adaptation of the series. It’s going to be our own story that we tell surrounding a group of genetically altered kids who are involved in a space war… That could take months of gestating, and trying to figure out what the new mythology is. And then we commit that to a bible, and then from that bible we do some artwork as exploration, and once we have artwork that we’re inspired by we then commit that to a script. So we’re in the bible phase for Battle of the Planets at the moment.”
Russo went on to say he and his brother are in what they call an IP incubation period:
"We're in what we call the development phase. The way we work, we do what we call IP Incubation, and it is a protracted process. We have to take something like Battle of the Planets, take it through a filter, find out what it is that we loved most about that show growing up, reinterpret it - because it is not going to be an exact adaptation of the series. It's going to be our own story to tell surrounding a group of genetically altered kids who are involved in a space war.
He went on to say that Grimjack, which is based on the sci-fi / fantasy comic book series about a trans-dimensional mercenary, is currently in the script phase. Russo calls the script “fantastic” and explains that it’s been turned into Amazon for notes.
As for the Magic: The Gathering animated series they are working on, it’s also in the script phase. He also explains that when it comes to animated shows like this there’s a much longer prep period than live-action projects. So, don’t expect to see anything on this series any time soon.
Personally, I’m most excited for the MTG series, but what are you excited for?