Ghost Rider Producer Acquires Atlas Comics Library To Develop Superhero Movies With Paramount

The movie industry will soon be welcoming a new group of heroes to the big screen thanks to producer Steven Paul (Ghost Rider), who announced at Cannes that he has acquired a majority interest in the Atlas Comics library. He's also signed a co-production and co-financing first-look deal with Paramount, where they will develop, produce, and distribute superhero movies based on the vast library of characters and concepts. They've also brought in Akiva Goldman (Star Trek franchise) and his company Weed Road Pictures to oversee the writer's room that will build a cinematic world from Atlas' roster (via Deadline).

The group wants to hit the ground running, as production is slated to begin during the first quarter of 2020 on their first project and release sometime in 2021. After that, they hope to release a new film every year from the universe, and those films will be produced by Paul, Goldsman, and Atlas production president Spike Seldin.

"We're still counting the characters," said Paul. "Marvel has 4,700. I want to be up there." Those characters include Tiger-Man, Sgt. Stryker's Death Squad, Grim Ghost, Devilina, Phoenix, Iron Jaw, and more.

Paramount sees a lot of opportunity in this roster according to Paramount COO Andrew Gumpert.

"Intellectual property of this kind is hard to come by in this day and age, and we are excited to be working with Steven Paul and SP Media Group to bring the iconic Atlas comic book library to the big screen," Gumpert said.

Paul thinks the biggest strength of the Atlas library is the uniqueness of it, and that's why he doesn't look at Marvel or DC as competition. He has seen Aquaman 13 times though, and they definitely want to be in that discussion at some point. To that end, Jason Goodman will be in charge of publishing and will be involved in all film and TV projects.

"Steven Paul, Akiva Goldsman and the whole team at the singularly iconic Paramount Pictures bring a level of talent and enthusiasm to this venture that carries my family's body of work in the comic book industry into filmed entertainment," said Jason Goodman

"What an opportunity that we have with the Atlas universe, which spans so many genres: superheroes, sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, horror, creatures, vampires, cops, cowboys, soldiers," said Goldsman. "The breadth of this material is extraordinary."

Atlas Comics started in the 1950s as a division of Timely Publications, which was founded by Martin Goodman. That division was actually the home to characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four and featured talents like Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. The name was changed in the 1960s to Marvel Comics, and later Goodman sold his holdings in the company, though at one point he thought his son would be staying on at Marvel. That didn't happen, and while Atlas would resurface in the 1970s, it's been dormant for some time.

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