At Heavy Metal’s Forging the Future SDCC ’22 panel, the ‘Metalverse’ was announced. The Metalverse will be a slate of live-action and animated productions for film and tv, spearheaded by its Heavy Metal Studios division and drawing off the company’s 45 years of accumulated IP.

Heavy Metalverse

While better known for the landmark Heavy Metal Magazine, which this year celebrates its 45th year of existence, the company also released an animated anthology movie in 1981 based on the magazine’s existing comic properties at that time. They hope that they can do the same again.

Heavy Metal President and Head of Studio Tommy Coriale said,

 “Just as Heavy Metal Magazine changed the way the world looked at comic books, and how the ‘81 animated film Heavy Metal changed animation forever, Heavy Metal Studios is about to take the reins on live action content and push it far past its current stagnation and into new heights. Things will never be the same again, again.”

A sizzle reel of test footage was shown which, according to Heavy Metal,

“features new live action test footage of Taarna, the fierce heroine originating from the 1981 Heavy Metal film, arming herself and fighting in battle, replicating the famed pose from the movie poster astride her pterodactyl Avis. The video also includes inspirational clips that bring to life a whole slate of adaptations from Heavy Metal’s vast IP library, including Taarna (by Stephanie Phillips and more), Cold Dead War (by George C. Romero and more), Dark Wing (by CEO Matthew Medney), Arena Mode (by Blake Northcott), The Adventures of Adrienne James (by Matthew Medney and Bruce Edwards), Sun Eater (by Dylan Sprouse and Joe Harris) The Rise (by George C. Romero), and Savage Circus (by Brendan Columbus).”

 

The panel also showed off a sneak peak of in-development animated TV series Moon Lake, based on Dan Fogler’s anthology series of the same name.

According to Heavy Metal,

“The horror comedy television series, currently in development and seeking distribution, is being co-produced by Heavy Metal, Fogler, Emmy and Peabody-winning Executive Producer Daniel Powell, and Emmy Award-winning animation studio Bardel Entertainment, the studio behind hit shows like Rick and Morty and Teen Titans Go!. Moon Lake is a thirty-minute animated TV show hosted by the Man in the Moon, a farcical character reminiscent of iconic TV anthology hosts of the past who has been held captive by “moon-men” since childhood. He prevents these aliens from attacking Earth by keeping them endlessly entertained with shocking tales of gruesome horror and hilarity.”

Also announced at the Forging the Future Panel:

  • Heavy Metal CEO Matthew Medney announced Metal+. According to the PR, it is,”a brand-new Web3 and blockchain-based publishing arm of the company, which will allow fans to digitally purchase and own current and past issues of Heavy Metal Magazine and Heavy Metal’s comics.”In partnership with Everscapes.io, Metal+ will offer both first-time users and current crypto natives the ability to be able to collect, trade, and share comics and magazine issues, providing a digital solution for comic asset value. Partnering with Stripe payments, Metal+ will accept credit card purchases along with crypto spends. Metal + will be based on the Elysium Blockchain, powered by the Myth Token , which is 100% green and carbon neutral.”
  • Heavy Metal is monthly again (for the first time in 35 years) and debuting new series. It teased,
          • The Axe horror-comedy series by Joe Trohman (Fall Out Boy) and actor-comedian Brian Posehn
          • Wiremonkeys cyberpunk series by Dan Schaffer
          • Ramgod a futuristic Fast & Furious-inspired series, and horror series A Darker God by Morgan Rosenblum and Øwen Rosenblum’s
  • Heavy Metal also announced that it will be publishing a 30th anniversary book about UK publication Tripwire

Miss any of The Beat’s earlier SDCC ’22 Coverage? Find it all here!