Q&A: Marvel takes charge of its film library

Marvel Entertainment has supplied the foundation for some of the most successful film franchises in history, with a list that includes “Spider-Man,” “X-Men” and the “Fantastic Four” along with cult classics like “Blade” and “Ghost Rider.” But after years of collaborating with the major studios on film versions of its classic comic books, Marvel Entertainment is branching out.

Marvel Studios is giving the company autonomy by making and financing its own films, and it’s already embarked on two major projects due out next year. “Iron Man,” a project that bounced from one studio to another for years, will star Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow and is scheduled for a summer 2008 release. And a new version of “The Hulk,” coming on the heels of the brooding, uneven 2003 film by Ang Lee, is also due out in summer 2008 with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner and Liv Tyler as his love interest.

With those films on the table, Marvel Consumer Products is going to have a busy three days at Licensing International in New York City June 19 to 21, and Retailing Today asked Paul Gitter, president of Consumer Products for North America at Marvel Entertainment, about the studio’s two big projects and what they’re expecting from them.

RT: What kind of early response are you getting from potential licensees for “Iron Man” and “The Hulk?”

GITTER: We’re getting a strong response from retailers and manufacturers as well as promotional partners for both films. Being that both are being released during the summer of 2008 time frame, it offers all our partners an opportunity to build continuity across their business with strong, film-based consumer product programs.

RT: Have you signed a master toy licensee yet for either property?

GITTER: We have signed a master toy partner and have also signed partners for most other categories. As demand builds for each film, we are beginning to identify new categories for each property that will help offer us broad category coverage.

RT: Does having the films produced in-house by Marvel Studios make licensing the films any easier?

GITTER: It offers us more control of the consumer products program, which as you know involves product licensing, retailer promotions and style guide and creative development. It allows us to move faster across all areas of the business, which will ultimately help get retailers and manufacturers acquainted with properties early on in the developmental stage.

RT: Are you looking to develop retail exclusives for some of the merchandise programs for “Iron Man” and “The Hulk?”

GITTER: At this time, we are exploring all strategies that will help us gain maximum placement across all retail trade while making each retailer feel special about their participation in the program.

RT: How is the look and tone of “The Hulk” going to differ from the previous film?

GITTER: “The Hulk” will be different from the first film. In fact, we are positioning the character as more heroic and aspirational so it becomes more appealing to the target demographic.

RT: What other Marvel comic book characters can we expect to see on the big screen in the next few years?

GITTER: You will see some of the classic characters be introduced not only as movies but also across other media platforms. We continue to evaluate which characters have the most potential for growth as we move into the 2009 and 2010 time period.