‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Animated TV Series Coming in 2015

Hot on the heels of the successful summer blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord and his motley crew are heading to television.

Disney XD announced Friday during New York Comic Con that it has ordered an animated Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy series to launch in 2015 during the network’s “Marvel Universe” block.

Produced by Marvel Television, the series will center on Peter Quill as Star-Lord, the brash adventurer who, to save the universe from its greatest threats, joins forces with a quartet of disparate misfits: Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora and Drax the Destroyer.

“The movie and franchise quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. We’re looking forward to working with the great team at Marvel Television to deliver an engaging animated series that fans can enjoy each week,” said Marc Buhaj, senior vp programming and general manager at Disney XD.

“This is a very exciting time for the Marvel Animation Studio as we get to explore the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe by developing the first-ever Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy animated series,” said Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel Television. “After starring in the biggest movie of 2014, everyone wants more of Star-Lord and his crew – now they’ll get it.”

Executive producers include Alan Fine, Dan Buckley, Joe Quesada and Loeb, with co-executive producers Stan Lee, Eric Radomski, Cort Lane and Stephen Wacker. Marty Isenberg and Harrison Wilcox are supervising producers, with Steven Melching consulting producer. Leo Riley is supervising director.

Guardians of the Galaxy opened to a record-breaking $94 million at the U.S. box office in its first weekend, the best showing for an August release to date. The film, directed by James Gunn, starred Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and John C. Reilly, with Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel lending their voices. It is the top theatrical release of the year, earning more than $654 million worldwide. A sequel has been slated for July 28, 2017.

This is the latest Marvel title to make it to the small screen, joining live-action series Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter, as well as its slew of animated offerings that includes Avengers Assemble, Hulk and the Agents of SMASH and others. Disney XD, for its part, is bulking up on proven titles, recently renewing Star Wars Rebels for a second season.

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