Hasbro execs have revealed wider plans for cinematic franchises including Transformers, My Little Pony and G.I. Joe.
With the fifth movie in the Transformers movie series gearing up for release in June, Hasbro execs have revealed to The LA Times their plans for a wider cinematic universe beyond the blockbuster franchise.
In addition to a spin-off to the Transformers franchise in the form of a stand-alone Bumblebee movie, the toy giant has confirmed plans to return to the G.I. Joe franchise with new films in the near future. The newly founded Hasbro Studios will now play an active role in the development of film franchises, rather than licensing the production out to separate film studios, such has been the strategy in the past.
“The world has changed, and I think you’re going to see G.I. Joe changing with it,” Simon Davis, consumer products at Hasbro Studios, told The LA Times.
“There’s going to be a much more contemporary approach to the whole franchise, and that will allow us to develop different characters. We hope to create a head snap. It’s a different kind of ‘Joe’ — one that still resonates with ‘Joe’ fans but brings in an uninitiated audience and expands the audience internationally and domestically.”
It has been reported that this cinematic universe will go on to incorporate characters from other popular Hasbro properties including ROM, Micronauts, Visionaries and M.A.S.K, if initial efforts are successful.
Hasbro Studios has recently doubled its office space, in order to foster a close physical collaboration between the entertainment and toy design teams.
This year's animated My Little Pony movie will be the first feature to release under the newly founded Allspark movie label, which is set to hit cinemas in October.
