Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 27, 2014 23:45:10 GMT -6
Comic book legend Stan Lee is taking his original Bollywood superhero Chakra to the big screen. Unlike his many creations for Marvel which went on to fuel huge billion-dollar franchises for the comics publisher, Chakra is an original character Lee created through his own POW! banner, through the animated series Chakra the Invincible. That launched on TV in India last year and has drawn 25 million views on streaming platform Rovio Toons TV. Lee and partner Graphic India are hoping to expand with a live-action feature film. Chakra tells the story of Raju Rai, a young boy from Mumbai who develops a technology suit that activates the mystical chakras of the body. Donning the suit, Raju discovers superpowers and vows to protect the city from a barrage of supervillains.
“The world was clamoring for an Indian superhero, and I came up with Chakra,” said Lee. “I based it on the fact that human body has chakras that motivate us, and they’re spiritual. He’s a teenage boy who learns to control and utilize the chakras in his body. We hope to make Chakra the Indian Spider-Man.”
While Marvel mints billions of dollars with movies based on the angst-ridden caped characters that Lee and his cohorts hatched in that cramped Marvel Comics office during a 60s golden age of creativity, Lee has had a harder time creating characters in his golden age that stick. Can Lee manufacture the kind of superhero hit that Marvel made out of his classic creations? “While the superheroes definitely get all the attention, what really drives the landscape forward is the stories,” said Lee. “In fact, you don’t need a marquee character to make a good superhero film. Whether it’s the origin stories of some of the characters we created at Marvel, from Spider-Man to Thor, or the most recent movies today like Guardians of the Galaxy, audiences recognize a great story and it’s what makes superheroes so universally loved. With Chakra we have combined great story telling with an exciting and relatable hero and I can’t wait to see it all brought to life on the big screen.” Rock on, Stan Lee.
“The world was clamoring for an Indian superhero, and I came up with Chakra,” said Lee. “I based it on the fact that human body has chakras that motivate us, and they’re spiritual. He’s a teenage boy who learns to control and utilize the chakras in his body. We hope to make Chakra the Indian Spider-Man.”
While Marvel mints billions of dollars with movies based on the angst-ridden caped characters that Lee and his cohorts hatched in that cramped Marvel Comics office during a 60s golden age of creativity, Lee has had a harder time creating characters in his golden age that stick. Can Lee manufacture the kind of superhero hit that Marvel made out of his classic creations? “While the superheroes definitely get all the attention, what really drives the landscape forward is the stories,” said Lee. “In fact, you don’t need a marquee character to make a good superhero film. Whether it’s the origin stories of some of the characters we created at Marvel, from Spider-Man to Thor, or the most recent movies today like Guardians of the Galaxy, audiences recognize a great story and it’s what makes superheroes so universally loved. With Chakra we have combined great story telling with an exciting and relatable hero and I can’t wait to see it all brought to life on the big screen.” Rock on, Stan Lee.