Fox and Boom! Studios Have Inked an Innovative Licensing Deal – Wait Come Back I Swear This is Interesting

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that 20th Century Fox just finalized a deal with Boom Studios that would give the movie studio first-look rights on any movie adaptation based on a Boom! Studios property, in many ways meaning that Boom! is not tied to Fox as Marvel is tied to Disney and  DC is to Warner Bros.

Wait! Don’t leave! According to THR the agreement is pretty unique in the field of comic studios with exclusive licensing deals with movie studios, especially where creators rights are concerned.

From THR:

The pact potentially could be one of the most lucrative underlying rights deals ever made with a comic book company. According to insiders, as part of the new pact, Boom!, in an unprecedented move, will get first-dollar gross on the movies made from its properties, with those earnings being split 50-50 between the publisher and the adapted comic’s creator(s).

“In an era where Jack Kirby doesn’t get paid for The Avengers, we are bringing the Jack Kirbys into the circle,” said Boom!’s Ross Richie. “They can use our expertise in the field while they focus on being creative.”

More than the deal making it very easy for Fox and Boom!’s stable of creators to get movies made, it also gives Boom! free run of Fox’s previous movie licenses. Boom! is making some of the best comics based on non-comics franchises today, like their Adventure Time and Fraggle Rock series. Now they’ve got access to IP like the Predator and Alien series, Die Hard, and The X-Files.

Boom! already has projects in the works at Fox, from this summer’s 2 Guns to an adaptation of robot story Rust, but lets not forget Boom!’s recent acquisition of Archaia Studios. Mouse Guard fans, start your hoping engines.

But for my money? Fox, you know you want an Avengers, becuase everybody wants an Avengers now, but you can’t just do The Avengers with different superheroes, Warner Bros. is all over that. But hey. Now that the mainstream movie audience is being introduced to the idea that supeheroes fight in teams, you could be the first to show them the apocalyptic chaos that happens when that team breaks down completely. I’m not asking for anything definite. Just do yourself a favor and take a look at Mark Waid‘s Irredeemable.

(via The Hollywood Reporter.)