LOS ANGELES, CA – April 2, 2012 – Epic Level Entertainment, a leading producer in the world of web series, branded digital entertainment, made-for-television movies, and producer of Machinima’s hit series “Bite Me,” announced its plans to bring back the animated show XOMBIE through the power of its fans.
“XOMBIE: Dead On Arrival” was a popular online cartoon from 2003-2008 with more than 13 million views. The show was optioned to a major studio in 2009, but the rights have reverted to its creators, and the team has opted to try a different approach.
“This show is different. It’s a cartoon, it’s a drama, and it’s not necessarily for children. That’s why none of the studios or networks have been able to quite wrap their heads around it,” said John Frank Rosenblum, Executive Producer. “Rather than turning to Hollywood, we should have been approaching our fan base directly all along.”
It’s this fan base that Epic Level is turning to in the hopes of continuing the XOMBIE saga. The team will launch a Kickstarter campaign on Monday, April 2. James Farr, the series creator, and the Epic Level team have been anxiously waiting to continue the story, and their fans have been knocking on their digital door with bated breath.
“We want to give XOMBIE back to the fans as soon as we can. We couldn’t afford to fund the whole series by ourselves though, so we decided to try crowdsourcing,” said Cindi Rice, Producer. “The fans’ support through Kickstarter will tell us how eager they are to see more. It’s risky, but it is a chance worth taking. We’re very excited.”
Merging horror and science fiction in a quest to find out what it means to be “human,” XOMBIE, is a unique animated story about Dirge, a dead man with a mind of his own who struggles against his posthumous cravings. With his trusty undead canine, Cerberus, this unlikely hero treks across hostile future wastelands in an attempt to reunite a lost child with her family. Fans, spanning teen and adult audiences alike consider Dirge a “quasi Batman of the undead.” XOMBIE originally started as a web animated series, and evolved into comics, graphic and illustrated novels and merchandise.
The XOMBIE Kickstarter team includes Epic Level Entertainment, creator James Farr, Geoff Edwards (the voice of Dirge), and Sean Fernald (co-producer and music supervisor). The campaign will last 45 days and end May 17.
“XOMBIE will rise again,” says creator James Farr. “Never underestimate the persistence of a dead man.”
Epic Level Entertainment is a leading entertainment company creating and producing genre franchises for film, television and the internet. Machinima’s popular video gamer web series “Bite Me” is one of Epic Level’s many productions. While “Bite Me” garnered 14 million views, Epic Level’s original series “XOMBIE” was viewed more than 13 million times by audiences worldwide well before the heyday of web series as an entertainment source. Epic Level’s passion for genre stories includes science-fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror, superhero, gaming and other types of “speculative fiction.” The company expands brands of all types through entertainment media, and works with other organizations to develop properties that span multiple product categories. By transforming its properties into franchises extending into publishing, games, webisodes/mobisodes, collectibles, and other merchandise, Epic Level Entertainment brings these stories to life in entertainment and beyond. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.For more information on Epic Level, please visit www.epiclevel.com
For more information on the XOMBIE Kickstarter campaign, go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/epiclevel/xombie-death-warmed-over.
To view XOMBIE: Dead on Arrival, go to http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4421414776CEA3D5.
