Cartoon Network wants a second lease on life for “Ben 10.” The cable outlet, part of Time Warner’s Turner, plans to introduce a new version of the popular animated series, which debuted in 2006 and chronicled the adventures of Ben Tennyson, a ten-year-old boy who discovers an alien device known as the Omnitrix that gives him the power to change into various aliens.
Cartoon Network Studios will produce the new series, which will debut on Cartoon Network international channels in the fall of 2016 and in North America in 2017. Man of Action, the original production team behind the series, will serve as executive producer and John Fang will be supervising producer.
“’Ben 10’ is a worldwide phenomenon for 10 years running, with more than 230 TV episodes produced. There hasn’t been an original production since 2012, but the overall popularity of the character has continued on,” said Rob Sorcher, Cartoon Network’s chief content officer, in an emailed response to questions about the project. “This demand from audiences around the world is the driving spark behind the relaunch. So we are creating this iteration for an entirely new generation of kids.”
The original “Ben 10” played out over the course of four linked animated series as well as a handful of animated movies. The older episodes will be “rested” in the U.S. during launch phase, said Sorcher.
He also suggested Cartoon Network would work to make the series appealing to viewers who were fond of watching video on the go via mobile devices. “The last generation of kids were the first digital natives. This generation is the first mobile natives,” he said. “You’ll see that reflected in our content plan.”
