Mythos Studios Announces Details About Bieber Musical ‘Cupid,’ Two More Animated Features
Is the film industry big enough for two more cinematic universes? Mythos Studios is betting that it is. The young animation production company that launched last year has revealed new details about its first three features, which are intended to launch franchises centered on recurring characters.
The company ought to know the value of a good franchise: one of its co-founders is David Maisel, founding chairman of Marvel Studios, in which capacity he oversaw the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The other co-founder is Scooter Braun, the record executive and talent manager who represents musicians like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.
The first film on Mythos’s slate is the previously announced Cupid, a musical about the eponymous Roman god of love. The baby-faced deity will be voiced by Bieber. The film will be directed by Pete Candeland, whose credits include music videos for Gorillaz and the video game The Beatles: Rock Band. Candeland was also the original director of Illumination’s The Grinch, though he ended up leaving the project before its completion.
The script is written by Carlos Kotkin (Rio 2) from a story by Maisel. It takes its cue from a famous tale about Cupid’s infatuation with the beautiful Psyche. The film’s producers are pitching this as the first installment in the “Mythoverse,” a series of films based on Roman and Greek myths.
The other two features in development at Mythos are based on characters created by the late comics artist Michael Turner. Fathom tells the story of Aspen Matthews, a marine biologist who discovers that she actually belongs to an advanced underwater species. The film is scripted by the daughter of former U.S. vice president Al Gore, Kristin, who has worked as a writer on Futurama and Saturday Night Live.
Soulfire focuses on Malikai, a young orphan who partners with the winged goddess Grace to bring long-lost magical forces back to the world. This project is being adapted by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt (Star Trek: Discovery, Reign).
The latter two titles will be helmed by Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander, the directing duo behind Netflix’s Next Gen. Together, the two films are intended to lay the groundwork for a “Turnerverse.” There are plenty more superhero stories where these came from: Mythos controls entertainment rights to the intellectual property of Aspen Comics, whose library includes Turner’s works.
“We are tremendously fortunate to have found brilliant creative partners whose artistry and storytelling talent will help us bring these very distinct, yet universally themed stories to life on the big screen,” said Maisel. “These three projects reflect our vision for Mythos Studios, which is to immerse viewers in cool, animated universes based on contemporary and classic mythologies that resonate around the world. We are excited to be moving forward with these films.”
Meanwhile, Mythos has appointed a new executive: Aaron Dem, who will serve as vice president of physical production. Dem is a veteran producer in the animation and vfx industries — his credits include How to Train Your Dragon 2, Space Jam, and Titanic, and he has worked at Paramount, Dreamworks, and Disney. Mythos’s executive team also includes Andrew Swett (The Lego Batman Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), who serves as vice president, production and development.