The Next Iteration Of 'Ben 10' Is In Development
The previous iteration ended with three specials in 2021, as the Cartoon Network franchise creeps closer to 20 years
It’s only been two years since the 2016 reboot iteration of Ben 10 ended, and according to Jason DeMarco, creator of Toonami and current SVP of Action and Anime at Warner Bros Discovery, the earliest of steps are being taken to figure out where.
On Sunday, DeMarco held a Twitter Q&A, where he was asked by a fan about the franchise’s current status, and he replied “We have some stuff in development. We’ll see if it goes anywhere. It’s not much, but it’s something.
Ben 10 premiered in late 2005, with 10-year-old Ben Tennyson, voiced by Tara Strong, on a summer road trip with his cousin and grandpa, discovering an alien watch with what was an initial ten alien species each with their abilities at his disposal. After 52 episodes, three subsequent series would follow a teenage Ben Tennyson (now voiced by Yuri Lowenthal) with even more new allies, aliens, and forms at his disposal, fighting intergalactic threats to save the Earth. This original continuity lasted for 230 episodes until 2014. Then the reboot came, premiering domestically in 2017, returning to the original period and premise, this time in a primarily 11-minute format. Derided by older fans for turning too silly, it would end up with the most total episodes at 178, with three 44-minute specials wrapping up the series in 2021, by which point the franchise had made over $7.85 billion in total revenue. Now with its parent company in year 2 of another merger formation, the turnaround makes all the sense.
As for what else DeMarco revealed in his Q&A, this week’s Toonami lineup is awaiting permission from Japan to be announced, but there is some progress getting anime from Crunchyroll. The block’s signature Total Immersion Events (the stuff that gives the block continuity and lore) he and Gill Austin brainstorm the basic idea and plot, which Brenden Fletcher builds a script from. However, the budget is not in place for more at the moment. A Toonami making-of book has been written, unlikely to be released. The synergy between Cartoon Network and Adult Swim is “kind of a total mess right now, which probably accounts for Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and My Adventures with Superman’s shift. Any hopes of AMC licensing Pantheon should be non-existent, and Uzumaki, originally announced in 2019. has had a hard road, but they’re still hopeful for a 2023 premiere.
