Radical Studios

Radical Studios was an American multimedia studio.[1] It had branches in feature films, television, physical and digital publishing, merchandise, recorded music, digital and online media applications and mobile and social games.[2]

Radical Studios

Type	Private Multimedia Studio
Industry	Film and Publishing
Founded	2007
Founders	Jesse Berger Barry Levine
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Products	Film and Comics
Parent	Blatant Entertainment, Inc.
Divisions	Radical Publishing Radical Pictures Radical Comics Radical Interactive Radical Family
Website	radicalstudios.com

History

Radical Publishing was founded in 2007 by Barry Levine, David Elliott, Jesse Berger, and Matthew Berger.[3][4][5]

The company launched its first titles, Hercules and Caliber, in May 2008.[6] In May 2009 Elliott left the company, being replaced by new Editor-in-Chief David Wohl.[7][8]

In September 2010, the company rebranded itself as Radical Studios.[9]

In 2011, the company reduced its overall staff.[10] In January, 2012 David Wohl announced that he was leaving the company.[11] Shortly after, the company removed their title Under the Faerie Moon from Free Comic Book Day[12] and cancelled the release of Damaged issue 6.[13]

In March 2012, the company began production on the movie Oblivion with Universal Pictures, based on an unpublished book created by director Joseph Kosinski, starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko and Melissa Leo.[14] The film opened #1 at the box office on April 19, 2013, generating $38.5 million in its US opening weekend.[15] The film went on to generate $89 million in the US box office and $198 million internationally, for a global cume of $287 million.[16]

In February 2013, the company raised $3m in equity from Los Angeles-based production company Wolfiskin Productions, to help expand its digital strategy and licensing capabilities.[17]

In June 2013, the company started production on Hercules, with MGM and Paramount Pictures, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, based on the Radical Comics' series Hercules: The Thracian Wars.[18] The movie opened at #2 in the box office on July 25, 2015, generating $29.8M in its US opening weekend.[19] The film went on to generate $72 million in the US box office and $170 million internationally, for a global cume of $243 million.

Film

Stemming from its start as a comic book publisher, and in regards to its comics, Radical Founder Barry Levine stated that “each title is built with the assumption the comic book will eventually land on the big screen.” These tools are used to attract film directors and other talent for attachment to a project during the development process.[20] Lastly, Radical sometimes employs the comic’s series writer to draft an initial screenplay of their work as a part of the film pitch package presented to studios.[21] Using these strategies, Radical has attracted various Hollywood talent and studios to their projects.

Film director Darren Bousman (Saw and Mother’s Day) at SDCC 2009 with Radical Comics

Released films

• Oblivion (2013): Director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) brought this original concept to Radical and is now a major motion picture co-written and directed by Kosinski, and produced and released by Universal Pictures, based on the never published illustrated novel.[22][23][24] It stars Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Zoë Bell, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.[25][26] Regarding the status of the never released illustrated novel, Kosinski told Empire Magazine "I don’t have any plans to do it right now. To me it’s feels like it’s in the rear-view mirror, you know? It’s like part of the development process. The film is the end result. But never say never. Maybe at some point it will be fun to go back and show the steps and the journey." [27]

• Hercules (2014): Director Brett Ratner is attached to produce and direct. A co-production of Radical Studios, MGM and Paramount Pictures. The script is written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Ryan Condal based upon the comic series created by Radical Publishing and written by Steve Moore.[28] The lead role has been cast with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.[29] Aksel Hennie is cast in the role of Tydeus.[30] Rufus Sewell is cast as Autolycus.[31] Ian McShane has been cast as Amphiarus, part priest, part prophet and part warrior who is Hercules’ counselor. Also joining are Joseph Fiennes, John Hurt and Rebecca Ferguson.[32]

• Abattoir (2016): Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw and Mother’s Day is attached to write and direct a film based on the 6-issue miniseries).[33]

Films in development

• Last Days of American Crime: In 2009 Sam Worthington (Avatar) was originally attached to produce and star in The Last Days of American Crime.[34] In 2013 it was announced that Worthington was no longer involved with the project.[35]

• Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland: Bryan Singer (X-Men and The Usual Suspects) has been attached to direct, with production through Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions. The rights to the film adaptation are licensed to New Regency Productions.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42]

• Shrapnel: Len Wiseman (Underworld) has been attached to direct and produce a film adaptation, but dropped out. Hilary Swank will star and produce the movie with Sean Daniel and Radical Pictures from a script by Toby Wagstaff.[43]

• Damaged: Sam Worthington and John Schwarz will star in the film adaptation with Worthington producing.[44][45]

Publishing

Radical Comics logo

The company launched its first comic titles, Hercules and Caliber, in May 2008 as 5-issue mini-series and debuted as the #7 comic book company in the world in market share based on a monthly report by ICV2.[46] Rather than the superheroes typical of Marvel and DC Comics, Radical’s titles focus on retellings of iconic fictional characters,[47] mythology, science fiction, fantasy, horror, historical fiction, supernatural themes, and genre-based crime.[48] Radical releases comics first as miniseries, and then combines these miniseries into paperback collections. Radical’s strategy in the comic book business is to create properties that feature painted art and “great stories that will appeal to the fans and the marketplace as a whole."[49][50] Many of Radical’s titles are published in a larger 48-page form, rather than the industry standard 22-page format. Radical comics are distributed in both mass market stores and specialized comic book shops.[51] by Diamond Comic Distributors of North America.[50] At one point Radical had a distribution deal for mass market stores in the United States and Canada by Random House.[52] However, the company rejoined Diamond Comic Distributors in 2011. As of 2012, Radical has published 20 different titles and is currently distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors.[53] Currently, Radical has not released any new comics or graphic novels since the release of Damaged issue 5 on February 1, 2012. The final issue of Damaged has since been cancelled.

The company has released a number of titles:

• Hercules (by Steve Moore):
  • The Thracian Wars, a 5-issue limited series[54]
  • The Knives of Kush, a 5-issue limited series, with Cris Bolsin[55]
• Caliber[56]
• City of Dust by Steve Niles, Zid and Brandon Chng[57]
• Shrapnel by Mark Long, Nick Sagan, M. Zachary Sherman and Bagus Hutomo[58][59]
• Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead by Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh[60][61]
• FVZA: The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency by David Hine[62]
• Incarnate by Nick Simmons[63]
• Legends: The Enchanted by Nick Percival.[64]
• Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost by Dave Elliott,[65] Ian Edginton, Patrick Reilly and Stjepan Sejic[66][67]
• The Last Days of American Crime by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini[68][69]
• After Dark created by Antoine Fuqua & Wesley Snipes, written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Jeff Netrup
• Go to a full list of Radical Publishing's titles

Reprints

They are also collecting and reprinting works previously published elsewhere:

• Cholly and Flytrap by Arthur Suydam[70]
• The Lords of Misrule by John Tomlinson, Dan Abnett, Steve White, Gary Erskine and Peter Snejbjerg, recoloured by J. M. Ringuet[71]

Awards

Radical received the 2008 Diamond Gem Award for New Comic Book Publisher of the Year from Diamond Comic Distributors. Diamond Comic Distributors is recognized as the premier comic book distributor in North America. The awards are voted on by the comic book store retailers, and are based on the overall impact of the publisher on the industry, taking into account sales performance, quality and creativity.[72][73][74] Radical received the award for their first two titles, Hercules: The Thracian Wars and Caliber: First Canon of Justice. Both comics were launched in May 2008, and enjoyed sellout performances.[75]

Legends: The Enchanted won the HorrorNews Net award for Best Original Graphic Novel 2010.[76]

Legends: The Enchanted was nominated for an Eagle Award for Favourite Single Story 2010.[77]

Legal

In July 2009, it was reported that Elliott had filed a lawsuit against Radical Publishing's parent company, Blatant Entertainment. The lawsuit cited disagreements over unpaid wages, as well as contract and copyright disputes as reasoning behind the action.[78]

In early 2010, Radical Studios had to halt publication of Nick Simmons' series Incarnate following accusations of plagiarism.[79][80]

References

1. "Radical Plans for Comics, Books, Films". Publishers Weekly. January 12, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
2. "About Radical | Radical Studios, Inc.Radical Studios, Inc". Radicalpublishing.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
3. Radical Publishing (August 4, 2008). "Septagon Studios spotlights Radical Publishing". Radical Comics. Retrieved 3 December 2009. Archived from original December 3, 2009.
4. "Radical Publishing's Ambitious Agenda". ICv2. 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
5. "Radical Publishing's Ambitious Agenda". Webcitation.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2009. Retrieved 2014-07-23.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
6. Glazer, Gianluca, "Radical Publishing Set To Debut Their First Titles In May, 2008" (press release), Comic Book Resources, April 23, 2008, accessed December 3, 2009. Archived from original December 3, 2009.
7. Staff, "David Wohl Named New Radical Comic EiC" (press release), Comic Book Resources, May 19, 2009, accessed December 3, 2009. Archived December 3, 2009.
8. Manning, Shaun (August 18, 2009). "David Wohl Discusses New Role as Radical's EiC". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
9. "Radical Publishing Becomes Radical Studios, Values Itself At $84,000,000 (BleediLeaks) - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
10. "Four Names Off The Masthead At Radical Publishing - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
11. "David Wolh No Longer Editor In Chief Of Radical Entertainment - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
12. "Radical Publishing Drops Out Of Free Comic Book Day - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
13. "Diamond Distribution Cancellations for May 2013". ComicList. 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
14. Jr, Mike Fleming (2012-03-23). "Melissa Leo Joins Tom Cruise Pic 'Oblivion'". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
15. Finke, Nikki (2013-04-20). "Costly 'Oblivion' $13.3M Friday And $38.5M Weekend: Tom Cruise's Bigger Openings". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
16. "Oblivion (2013) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
17. Abrams, Rachel (2013-02-04). "Comicbook publisher Radical Studios raises $3 million". Variety. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
18. Greenberger, Robert (2013-06-10). "Paramount & MGM Begin Production on Hercules". ComicMix. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
19. Busch, Anita (2014-07-28). "Box Office Final: 'Lucy' In The Sky At $43.9M; 'Hercules' At $29.8M; Top 20 Listed". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
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21. "Bug talks with Radical Comics' Barry Levine". Ain’t It Cool. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
22. "'Tron Legacy' Director Offers 'Oblivion' Update". MTV News. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
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24. Kit, Borys (July 29, 2009). "Tron Legacy Director into 'Oblivion'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
25. Trumbore, Dave (January 19, 2012). "Olga Kurylenko and Andrea Riseborough Join Tom Cruise in Untitled Sci-Fi Pic". Collider.com. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
26. Chitwood, Adam (March 15, 2012). "Universal Moves Sci-Fi Film OBLIVION Starring Tom Cruise Up to April 26, 2013". Collider.com. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
27. "Oblivion, Based On The Non-Existing Graphic Novel - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
28. Jeff Sneider (2012-03-05). "Dwayne Johnson signs on as Hercules". Variety. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
29. Wales, George (2012-02-24). "Dwayne Johnson to play Brett Ratner's Hercules". TotalFilm.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
30. Kit, Borys. "'Headhunters' Star Joining Dwayne Johnson in 'Hercules' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
31. Fleming, Mike (2013-03-20). "Rufus Sewell Cast In 'Hercules' Movie With Dwayne Johnson". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
32. "Ian McShane Joins Dwayne Johnson in 'Hercules' for MGM and Paramount (Exclusive) - Hollywood Reporter". M.hollywoodreporter.com. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
33. Fleming, Michael (July 21, 2009). "Bousman to bloody up 'Abattoir'". Variety. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
34. Fleming Jr, Mike (2012-03-12). "Commercial & Video Wiz Anthony Mandler To Helm 'The Last Days Of American Crime'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
35. "'Last Days of American Crime' Gets New Director, Loses Worthington". FirstShowing.net. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
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37. "'Freedom Formula' Adaptation Gets Official With New Regency & Bryan Singer". MTV News. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
38. Boueher, Geoff (December 13, 2008), "Hero Complex: Comics pitch", Los Angeles Times
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40. Fleming, Michael (October 9, 2008). "Radical gets help from Singapore co.: Graphic novel publisher inks film financing deal". Variety. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
41. "Hero Complex: Barry Levine and his Radical plan in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. December 7, 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
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43. Sneider, Jeff (20 July 2011). "Hilary Swank grabs hold of 'Shrapnel'". Variety. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
44. SuperHeroHype (1 July 2010). "Worthington Teams Up with Radical for Damaged". SuperHeroHype. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
45. Damaged on IMDb
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55. "Steve Moore on Hercules: The Knives of Kush". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
56. "Arthur & The Knights of the OK Corral: Sarkar talks "Caliber"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
57. "Designing the City of Dust - Artists Zid & Chng Spill". Newsarama.com. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
58. "Kai talks Radical's Sci-Fi Epic "Shrapnel"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
59. "Sagan & Long on Radical's 'Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising'". Newsarama.com. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
60. "Hotwire gallery". Stevepugh.com. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
61. "Steve Pugh, Warren Ellis create "Hotwire" for Radical". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
62. "Zombies, Vampires and U.S. History?? David Hine on 'FVZA'". Newsarama.com. 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
63. Rodriguez, Alex (July 23, 2009). "Nick Simmons: Bringing the Revenants to Life". Comics Bulletin. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
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66. Arrant, Chris (November 25, 2009). "A Radical Interpretation of ALADDIN". Newsarama. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
67. Sunu, Steve (December 1, 2009). "Edginton Ignites "Aladdin's" Lamp". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
68. Manning, Shaun (August 20, 2009). "Remender's "Last Days of American Crime"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
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70. Manning, Shaun (April 29, 2009). "Arthur Suydam on "Cholly & Flytrap"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
71. Archived January 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
72. "Radical Publishing named Diamond's "Best New Publisher" for 2008" (Press release). Comic Book Resources. February 3, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
73. Adler, Matt (February 8, 2009). "NYCC: Radical Publishing". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
74. "2008 GEM Award Winners Announced" (Press release). Major Spoilers. February 4, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
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76. 2010
77. "Eagle Awards Nominations Announced - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. 2011-03-14. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
78. Gardner, Eriq (July 22, 2009). "Radical lawsuit hits comic book powerhouse". The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. Retrieved December 2, 2009. Archived December 3, 2009.
79. Melrose, Kevin (February 25, 2010). "Radical Halts Nick Simmons' Incarnate amid Claims of Plagiarism". Robot 6. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
80. "Nick Simmons' Incarnate Halted Over Alleged Bleach Plagiarism (Updated)". Anime News Network. February 25, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.

Sources

• Radical Comics at the Grand Comics Database
• Radical Comics at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

External links

• Official website