Heavy Metal Announces Plans For Live Action And Animated Media

Heavy Metal, the long-running science fiction and fantasy publication that’s been on a growth spurt under new ownership, is announcing an ambitious slate of media projects at San Diego Comic-Con.

The company’s media production arm, Heavy Metal Studios, debuted a sizzle reel of live action footage teasing the debut of characters including Taarna, Cold Dead War, Dark Wing, Arena Mode, Adrienne Jones, Rise and Savage Circus, based on corporate- and creator-owned IP serialized in Heavy Metal magazine.

The company also announced that Heavy Metal and Bardel Animation have teamed up with Dan Fogler to adapt Fogler’s Moonlake graphic novel as a half-hour animated comedy show. Fogler is writing and executive producing, along with showrunner Dan Powell. Attendees at the Heavy Metal panel in San Diego Comic-Con will be the first to see the exclusive sneak peek trailer.

Heavy Metal first burst onto the scene in the late 1970s, giving American readers their first look at the visionary art and storytelling of European comics masters like Moebius, Philippe Druillet, Enki Bilal and others. The magazine’s combination of great art, edgy storytelling, ample sex and violence, and rock and roll attitude made a lasting impression on a generation of fans and creators. That was amplified with the release of the Heavy Metal animated feature film in 1981, which brought the magazine’s aesthetic to the screen accompanied by a soundtrack of 70s album rock.

Since then, the publication has had an up and down history, with various attempts to refresh the tried and true approach. Starting in 2020, a new management team under CEO Matt Medney has invested heavily in fresh material, new corporate-owned and creator-driven IP, media and NFTs as part of a major brand refresh.

“Heavy Metal has been on a journey for five decades to be on the bolder side of culture while never leaving the bleeding edge of innovation,” said Medney. The slate is just the beginning of a three year plan to bring Aragorn back to the throne of Minas Tirith. So much science fiction has filtered through the pages of Heavy Metal. It’s time for us to now take center stage in page to screen(s) imagination.”

A big part of this effort was bringing in Timmy Coriale to shepherd media projects to fruition as head of Heavy Metal Studios. His job is to build tentpoles in the “Metalverse” including live action television and feature film that build a loosely-connected story world, standalone auteur-driven genre and action films, and animated/anime content.

“Just as Heavy Metal Magazine changed the way the world looked at comic books, and how the ‘81 animated filmed 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 onto new heights,” said Coriale. “Things will never be the same again, again.”

Heavy Metal will unveil more news and announcements at its panels at SDCC throughout the weekend, with creators on hand for signings and appearances.