By Over a decade ago came the news that a live-action film based on Cartoon Network’s “Ben 10” animated sci-fi franchise was in development. Now, it’s officially dead.
The story follows ten-year-old Ben Tennyson, who discovers an alien device called the Omnitrix. Wearing it on his wrist, it allows him to transform into ten unique alien forms – all while retaining his child personality.
The franchise first premiered in 2005 with five television series, five feature films, and numerous video games resulting, including plenty of critical acclaim and multiple Emmy awards. It’s now Cartoon Network’s second longest existing franchise.
Producers Joel Silver and Steve Richards were slated to produce the film back in 2011 with the project setup at Warner Bros. Pictures. A year later Warners ended its 25-year relationship with Silver which stalled development.
Richards is currently out doing interviews promoting his Dave Bautista-led “The Killer’s Game” film currently in cinemas. Asked by The Direct about the status of the film, he says it’s no longer happening:
“I have to admit, I should update my IMDb. No. So, when I was working with Joel Silver, we had the rights to that, and, yeah, that expired… But it should get made, right?”
The franchise has spawned two low-budget telemovies in the late 2000s – “Ben 10: Race Against Time” and “Alien Swarm”. The last animated series in the franchise, and arguably the one best known to today’s kids, ran from 2016-2021 – generating a total of 166 episodes.
The post The Live-Action “Ben 10” Film Is Dead appeared first on Dark Horizons.
