Warner Bros. Set to Produce Merchandise Based on Adam West Batman Series

[Zoneboy]

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We may be one step closer to the classic Adam West Batman TV series coming to DVD. For years, the series has remained one of the most-requested yet still unreleased TV series, due to the very complicated rights issues with the show – not the least of which is 20th Century Fox having produced the TV show back in the 1960s, but Warner Bros (a sister company to DC Comics) now being the home to the character when it comes to film and TV.

Now however, Variety reports that Warner Bros. Consumer Producers have at least resolved the legal hang up on one very important aspect of the series on the corporate (and fan) side – merchandising. For the first time in 40 years, the company will be able to offer official Batman merchandise featuring the likenesses of the show’s stars, including West, Burt Ward as Robin, Julie Newmar as Catwoman, Alan Napier as Alfred Pennyworth, Cesar Romero as The Joker and Burgess Meredith as The Penguin.

Variety didn’t mention some of the other notable cast members, including Yvonne Craig as Batgirl, Frank Gorshin as The Riddler and Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, but it’s not clear whether that was just an omission or those actors, for some reason, are still not included in the characters Warner Bros. can use. Previously, the only merchandise Warners could produce from the West series didn’t involve the actors – focusing on imagery like the show’s logo and the iconic Batmobile.

Warners will introduce new Batman product opportunities at next week’s Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, with the first products launching in spring. Variety notes that Warners began negotiation with Fox, West and the estates of the other actors in August 2009.

Brad Globe, president of Warner Bros. Consumer Products, tells Variety, “For the first time in over 40 years we will be able to offer fans a full merchandise program that captures the classic, kitschy look and feel of the original 'Batman' TV show. This new licensing program allows our partners to take advantage of the characters, gadgets and humor that made the show a smash hit in its day and a perennial favorite decades later."

The timing of this story was notable for me, because I actually spoke to Adam West himself at E3 today, where he was promoting Family Guy Online and during our conversation, I asked West about the possibility of Batman finally making it to DVD. Said the actor, “I can’t say because I’m not privy to the suits and to all those back room discussions about it and who gets what slice of the pie. I think it’s probably a matter of how much money is involved, how much does it cost to pay off the music -- the people involved with that -- how much does it cost to pay off the actors -- the guest stars, the stars, the peripheral actors, the stunt people. All those things, it’s very complicated. So Warners and Fox have to work that out, and I think they’re coming closer.”

That optimism West expressed turned out to be backed up just a few hours later by the fact that he obviously knew already that the companies had at least come to an agreement on the merchandising for the series. And if they worked out that aspect, one would hope getting the actual show into stores would be a big topic of conversation.

So let’s keep crossing our fingers, Bat-fans….

[Marvo301]

Hopefully this is a sign that a DVD release is going to happen!

[comedyfreak]

This from tvshowsondvd.com:


Batman - Variety Merchandising Story Fuels Fan Hopes of a DVD Deal **UPDATED: Our Warner Contact Says...**

No actual word yet, however, if Warner's licensing agreement pertains to home video
Posted by David Lambert
6/07/2012

Earlier today Variety posted a story by Marc Graser titled "Warner Bros. sets licensing for 'Batman' show," and subtitled "Rights issues resolved on Fox's campy 1960s series." This quoted portion from the article explains the main point:

For the first time in 40 years, Warner Bros. Consumer Products will be able to use the likeness of the show's stars, including Adam West, Burt Ward, Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith, on everything from apparel to toys, home goods, publishing and promotions.

WBCP will introduce the new "Batman" product opportunities to potential partners and retailers at next week's Licensing Expo, running June 12-14 in Las Vegas. First products will launch in the spring.

Retailers had requested a larger merchandise line tied to the show over the years, but studio arm had previously been able to use only the series' logo, POW!-packed animated opening sequence and the Batmobile for product, not the actors, due to rights issues as the series was produced by 20th Century Fox. As a result, studio was limited to a small line of T-shirts and a die-cast Batmobile made by Mattel.

Following the publishing of Variety's write-up, we've received a ton of emails from our readers, hopeful that this means that DVD rights issues are part of this agreement. It certainly looks like the best hope we've had in a long time, right?

However, we're cautious because the story conspicuously avoids mentioning DVDs (and all other potential home video delivery methods), and the issue mentioned in the story that affects clothing, toys, "home goods" (posters, or wastebaskets for kids' rooms, or umbrellas, etc.) and the like might not be enough to resolve all potential licensing hold-ups for delivering complete episodes on DVD.

For example, the so-called "bat-climbs" included cameos of other shows that aired at the time, but were produced by other studios ("Lurch" from The Addams Family and "Colonel Klink" from Hogan's Heroes come immediately to mind). Not to mention both the bat-climb cameo appearance AND the cross-over appearance by Van Williams and Bruce Lee as "The Green Hornet and Kato."

But like many of you, we're hopeful that this paves the way for a DVD release of the Adam West Batman episodes that we've all longed for. We're looking into it with the studio, of course, and if there's good news we hope to have it for you as soon as possible. Stay tuned, and cross your fingers!


UPDATE: We've now been in touch with the studio, and a Warner contact informs us that the Variety article unfortunately only pertains to consumer products of the type mentioned in their story; there's been no new news on the DVD front. Darn it.

Taken from: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Bat...#ixzz1xCIwduq6

[Loves Old Tv]

No change here, a year later, eh?