Move over, novels: webcomics are here as the hottest new fodder for Hollywood adaptations.
Wattpad Webtoon Studios president Aron Levitz, Webtoon Originals creator Snailords, Skybound’s president of TV Glenn Geller, The Jim Henson Company’s president of TV Halle Stanford and pop culture journalist Kayti Burt shared their expertise on the subject matter during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, moderated by PvNew.
“We have 55 million stories available to us as a studio,” Levitz said, citing inventive storytelling and a passionate fanbase as the strongest foundations for a successful adaptation. “We know what people are reading. We know why they like it, because you comment!” Wattpad Webtoon Studios has a menagerie of projects in the works, including a Diablo Cody-produced “Death of a Pop Star” film and an animated series of “Apocalyptic Horseplay.”
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Burt, who has reported extensively on the global rise of Korean content, shared why betting on webcomics is a smart bet. “A lot of K-dramas are adapted from Webtoons,” she said. “Dramas that come from already established storytelling, that have gone through the critical eye of the audience, often produce some really impressive stuff. In this age of storytelling where there’s such a push to get so much out as quickly as possible, a lot of stories that are coming from Webtoons and preexisting IP can really have an edge.”
While his series “Freaking Romance” is wrapped up and getting the film treatment from Skybound, Snailords (aka Aidyn Arroyal) is currently updating his webcomic “Death: Rescheduled” weekly. “The series has to update every Friday, and on Monday, I’m drawing a new page. By Friday, it goes up and people are reading it live, so I get automatic feedback,” he said. “I can see what the audience is interested in, learn what they like and what they don’t like, and then incorporate that into the future pages, as opposed to back then, you’d have to finish an entire book.”
Geller added that maintaining the trust of fans when translating a webcomic into a film is key. “For us at Skybound, it is about connecting the creator to their fan base and making sure that that relationship is real and honestly built on trust, because you want to be able to say to your fans, ‘If you love this, you’re going to love this.'” I think that that’s why fan engagement is so important.”
Stanford, currently working on the hotly anticipated adaptation of Rachel Smythe’s “Lore Olympus” at the Jim Henson Company, raved about working with the creator to bring her vision to life. “She’s incredible. She’s been there every creative milestone step of the way. She’s helping us build easter eggs, helping us layer those characters, telling us what kind of flowers come up in Persephone’s hair when she’s feeling something.”
Ultimately, Levitz sees the webcomic revolution taking over Hollywood sooner rather than later. “It’s fandom built into brilliant storytelling. It’s simple.”
