2 years after Warner Bros. closed Rooster Teeth and sold the franchise, Monty Oum's series is being packaged for film and TV alongside the publisher's original graphic novel line.
VIZ Media has signed a development deal with The Gotham Group to build film and television projects out of its original properties, led by the animated action series RWBY and the VIZ Originals graphic novel imprint.
Gotham will identify and package the projects; previous projects include Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Skydance Animation's The Search for WondLa, Washington Black, the Maze Runner films and the Bruce Springsteen feature Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
Monty Oum created RWBY at Rooster Teeth and it premiered in July 2013; he died tragically in February 2015, at 33, during production on its third volume. Nine volumes and 117 episodes followed, along with RWBY Chibi, RWBY: Ice Queendom and two Justice League x RWBY features with Warner Bros. Animation.
Warner Bros. Discovery shut Rooster Teeth down in March 2024 after 21 years and sold off its properties. VIZ bought RWBY that July, taking production, distribution, licensing and consumer products, with showrunner Kerry Shawcross staying on. A tenth volume was greenlit at Anime Expo in July, with Shawcross returning and the original voice cast involved. No studio, episode count or release window has been announced.
"From the beginning, our vision for RWBY has been to build a global franchise that connects with fans across every medium," said VIZ Media president and CEO Brad Woods. "With Volume 10 officially underway, we're excited to take the next step by partnering with The Gotham Group to develop RWBY, alongside our growing portfolio of original graphic novels, for film and television."
"We are thrilled to be working with the iconic VIZ on RWBY and beyond," said Gotham founder and CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. "The RWBY franchise is one of the most prolific out there and we're excited to be a part of bringing new stories to life."
The imprint side of the deal publishes original manga-inspired graphic novels. Its list includes Rem & Bikkuri's "Devil's Candy," Rainbow Rowell's "Fangirl," Sam Sattin's "Lynx" and Acky Bright's "Galaxic Baseball League." VIZ also publishes "One Piece," "Demon Slayer," "Naruto" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" in North America.
Source: VIZ Media
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
