Ben, Again: Cartoon Network Reboots ‘Ben 10’

A decade after first introducing it, Cartoon Network is re-introducing Ben 10 with a new animated television series.

Supervising producer John Fang (Mixels, Generator Rex) and executive producer Man of Action studios rewind the alien-powered kid hero’s backstory and mythology for a new generation. Their rebooted iteration of Ben 10′s billions-dollar merchandising juggernaut premieres on Cartoon Network’s international channels in fall 2016, but won’t make it to American shores until 2017.

According to the network, all of the original characters are slated to return, including the hero ten-year-old Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, Grandpa Max and of course the alien Omnitrix that endows the series namesake with his signature superpowers. “Ben 10 has been an overwhelming success story across all media platforms, and we know kids around the world will be eager to see the reinvention of this beloved character,” said Cartoon Network chief content officer Rob Sorcher in a press release.

The reboot of Ben 10 arrives not only on the back of the original series celebrating its tenth anniversary next January, but also the follow-up series Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and Ben 10: Omniverse, as well as the animated feature Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix and two live-action films, Ben 10: Race Against Time and Ben 10: Alien Swarm. The idea has generated $4.5 billion in global retail sales to date, and judging from this announcement, Cartoon Network doesn’t intend to stop riding the Ben 10 money train anytime soon.