New Pac-Man Series Coming to Disney XD

Press release from Namco Bandai Games:

NAMCO BANDAI Games, Arad Productions and 41 Entertainment LLC (“41e”) announced that they have granted the US television rights to Disney XD for the brand new animated action comedy series tentatively entitled PAC-MAN - The Adventure Begins in time for a fall 2013 airing.

Based on the iconic brand owned by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., the series is created in stereoscopic 3D executive produced by Avi Arad (Spider-Man for Sony Pictures, Iron Man for Paramount, Hulk for Universal and Fantastic Four and X-Men for 20^th Century Fox) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars for New World, X-Men Evolution for Marvel and Legend of the Dragon for BKN).

Avi Arad adds: “I am very excited about producing PAC-MAN - The Adventure Begins, the 3D animated series, with Rick Ungar. PAC-MAN is one of the world’s greatest icons. He is funny and adventurous and will bring his tone and abilities to this beautifully executed animated series. For more than 30 years, PAC-MAN has been a household name. Having this property on Disney XD is its rightful place to be.”

Mr. Unozawa, Chief Operating Officer at NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., states: “We are very happy and welcome Disney XD as the home for PAC-MAN - The Adventure Begins in the US.  Along with Disney and the rest of our valuable partners, we are confident of the immediate success that this new PAC-MAN venture will generate, and it is sure to transcend generations once again.”

States 41e’s CEO, Allen Bohbot: “We are very pleased to grant these valuable rights to Disney XD. We believe it is the perfect home for this project and welcome them to the growing list of high quality programmers and broadcasters worldwide that will be airing this series.”

About 41 Entertainment
41 Entertainment (“41e”) is a global animation company engaged in the production, distribution and marketing of animated children’s television programs and the marketing of related consumer products (licensing and merchandising) in all forms.  The principals of 41e have worked on numerous successful animation projects and have successfully negotiated distribution deals in over 95 countries and territories in the children’s programming market.

About Arad Productions
Arad Productions specializes in adapting and converting genre characters and brands into film, television, animation, video games and toys, headed by Avi Arad who until recently was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marvel Studios, the film and television division of Marvel Entertainment, and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. In June of 2006, Arad branched off to form his own production company – Arad Productions, Inc. Arad has been the driving force behind Marvel's Hollywood renaissance with a track record that has been nothing short of spectacular, including a string of No. 1 box office openings. As a producer, his credits include the Spider-Man franchise movies (Columbia Pictures); the X-Men franchise movies (Twentieth Century Fox); The Hulk (Universal Pictures); Daredevil (New Regency); The Punisher (Lionsgate Entertainment); Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity (New Line Cinema); Elektra (Twentieth Century Fox); The Fantastic Four and its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Twentieth Century Fox); Ghost Rider (Columbia Pictures); Iron Man (Paramount Pictures); and The Incredible Hulk (Universal). Mr. Arad's current feature film slate includes The Amazing pider-Man (Columbia Pictures), Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Columbia Pictures), Ghost In The Shell (DreamWorks), Venom (Columbia Pictures), Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (Columbia Pictures), Popeye Sony Pictures Animation), InFamous (Columbia Pictures), Maximum Ride (Universal), Mass Effect (Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros.), and many more including the hit animated TV shows Spider-Man and X-Men.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games
NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., a part of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive contents – including all major video game consoles, amusement machines (arcade products) and  network platforms such as mobile and online.  The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN®, Tekken®, SOULCALIBUR®, GALAGA®, RIDGE RACER® and ACE COMBAT®.  More information about the company and its products can be found at http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/english/ [1]

About NAMCO  BANDAI Group
NAMCO BANDAI Group’s Mission is to offer “Dreams, Fun and Inspiration” to the world.  With the Vision to become the most “Innovative Entertainment Corporate Group” in the world, our Group is providing the vast range of Entertainment through Toys, Games, Network Contents, Visual Contents, Music, Amusement Facilities throughout the world.