Publication history

In February 2010, the Stan Lee Comics print and digital comic book line was announced with the first title "Stan Lee's Super Seven" plan to be launched in July. Tom DeFalco was initially chosen as the main author. In the fall, animated webisodes were expected to start up.^[13] In August, Super7, a toy manufacturer, sued over Stan Lee's Super Seven for trademark infringement.^[14]

In March 2012, the first issue of renamed "Stan Lee's Mighty 7" six issue miniseries was published.^[2] The first two issues sold out.^[1] Only three issues were printed because of interest in using the concept for a possible animated series or movie trilogy.^[15] Digital issues were supposed to resume in 2014, but as of 2015 it hasn't happened.^[1]

Plot

The concept is that Stan Lee is a character in the story, as himself, who runs into two groups of aliens that he mentors to be a superhero team while he uses them to write comic books. The aliens consist of two marshals transporting five criminals that crash land on Earth.^[2] Besides Lee, a covert government agency is aware that they land with a leader of a military unit becoming an antagonist of the team.^[10]

Film history

In April 2012, Stan Lee's Mighty 7 was slated to be developed into media formats via A Squared Elxsi Entertainment LLC (A2E2). A²E2 is a joint-venture between A Squared Entertainment (A²) and Tata Elxsi^[16] formed in January 2011 which Elxsi ends in October 2012.^[17]

In September 2012, A² signed a foreign distribution agreement with PGS Entertainment for its programming library, including the Mighty 7 pilot animated movie with a possible 26 episode pickup.^[18] Also, Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment was signed on as home video distributor and Hub Network as its world television premiere channel.^[12]

PGS Entertainment was shopping Mighty 7 as a trilogy of animated movies at MIP-TV in April 2013.^[19]

On March 16, 2013, Hub Network announced its pick up of "Stan Lee's Mighty 7" animated pilot movie.^[8] Two more films and a TV series were planned to air on Hub Network, but due to the channel being replaced by Discovery Family; none of these productions have aired as of August 21, 2015 and it is unknown if they were ever completed due to Stan Lee's death in November 2018.^[10] Also that month, A² merged with Genius Brands with the Heywards of A2 taking over management of the post-merger Genius Brands.^[11]

Genius Brands International in March 2015 placed the movie's rights with:

• TF1 for pan-European, French-speaking VOD, SVOD and EST rights,
• Teletoon for Canada broadcasting rights
• Sony's Pop Channel for UK broadcasting rights
• The Movie Partnership for market representation of all UK digital rights
• Telepictures Promoter for Middle East and North Africa Arabic-speaking countries broadcast TV rights.^[20]

Beginnings premiered on February 1, 2014.^[8] On April 15, "Stan Lee's Mighty 7: Beginnings" was released on DVD and Blu-ray^[21] via Cinedigm at Walmart and Sam's Club for an initial exclusive window. The DVD had a number of Stan Lee featuring material.^[9]

Cast and characters

• Stan Lee as himself
• Armie Hammer as Strong Arm, the superhero with super strength.
• Christian Slater as Lazer Lord, the superhero who hurls balls of laser energy.
• Mayim Bialik as Lady Lightning, who possesses super speed.
• Teri Hatcher as Silver Skylark, the superhero who flies.
• Flea as Roller Man, who rolls into a big ball and launches at high speed.
• Darren Criss as Micro, who shrinks in size.
• Sean Astin as Kid Kinergy, whose superpower is telekinesis.
• Jim Belushi as Mr. Cross, the leader of a covert operations military division assigned to investigate UFO sightings.
• Michael Ironside as Xanar, the leader of the warring aliens from the planet Taegon who enslave other planets and raid their natural resources."^[22]