Vertical Entertainment has nabbed the U.S. rights to the animated film Panda vs. Aliens from Arcana Studio.
The indie was written, directed and produced by Arcana Studio founder Sean Patrick O’Reilly and executive produced by Stan Lee, the legendary writer, editor and publisher of Marvel Comics who died in 2018.
Starring Chevy Chase, Geoff Gustafson and Dan Payne, Panda vs. Aliens follows a celebrity panda who must save the world from evil invaders with the help of a magic medallion. Other producers included Gil Champion, Steve Chicorel, Baiyi Chen and Michelle O’Reilly.
Panda vs. Aliens is partly based on animated alien characters from The Unknowns, a comic book from Lee’s POW! Entertainment. The deal marks Arcana’s second with Vertical Entertainment, which released the studio’s first feature film, Pixies, in 2015.
“Panda vs. Aliens movie holds an extra special place in my heart as it fulfilled a dream of mine to work with Stan Lee. Growing up reading comic books Stan Lee and his characters were a major influence in my life and his influence never stopped,” O’Reilly said in a statement.
The film will also have a Chinese theatrical release in 2021, Arcana adds.
