Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee may be gone, but his memory certainly lives on through his creations, fans and Marvel itself. As we near two years since his passing, fans and celebrities alike are still finding ways to pay tribute to the late writer, and Arnold Schwarzenegger has now found the perfect way to preserve Lee’s legacy.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is teaming up with Genius Brands International, the children’s media company, to produce and star in a new animated series entitled Superhero Kindergarten. According to Deadline, Schwarzenegger has become a “significant investor” in the company.
In a statement, Schwarzenegger expressed his excitement in getting to realize one of Stan Lee’s final projects and stressed that Superhero Kindergarten will be a cartoon that “not only entertains with superhero adventures, but also imparts valuable lessons about the importance of health, exercise, nutrition, anti-bullying, and diversity.”
Genius Brands is set to co-produce the show with the actors’ production company Oak productions, along with China’s Alibaba Group and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment. The show has also tapped Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza as a writer.
Superhero Kindergarten was one of the final projects that Stan Lee developed, and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be voicing lead character Arnold Armstrong. In the show, Armstrong is a gym teacher who gained superhuman abilities and spent decades fighting crime as the hero Captain Courage. However, the hero was forced to give up his abilities in a fight with archnemesis Dr. Superior five years before the series picks up. But in the present day, Armstrong, now a kindergarten teacher, must jump back into action to train a group of children who have gained abilities of their own.
Believe it or not, the idea for the series came from a conversation that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stan Lee once had, during which the actor confided to Lee that he would’ve loved to have made a sequel to his hit comedy Kindergarten Cop. Lee, a fan of the film, took this to heart and pitched Superhero Kindergarten to Schwarzenegger, who liked the idea.
Most fans probably know of Stan Lee’s extensive animated work with Marvel Entertainment from back in the day but, in recent years, he created quite a few animated projects under his POW! Entertainment banner. This includes direct-to-video films like Mosaic, The Condor and Stan Lee’s Mighty 7.
While the two never actually worked together, both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stan Lee seemed to share a close bond, which was probably built from seeing each other at conventions and other events. It’s cool to see that Schwarzenegger is still moving forward with Superhero Kindergarten now that Lee is no longer with us. Not only will it give him a chance to somehow do the Kindergarten Cop follow-up he’s always wanted, but it’ll also allow him to continue the work of one of the world's most celebrated creative minds.
Superhero Kindergarten is slated to premiere on Amazon Prime in 2021.
