Gungnir, the publishing venture founded by former Heavy Metal CEO and creator Matthew Medney, has announced the launch of Gungnir Animation Studio, a new division focused on animation production.
Founded by Medney alongside producer Rosa Tran (Anomalisa, Robot Chicken), writer Eric W. Phillips (For All Mankind, The Umbrella Academy), and veteran VFX supervisor/EP Wayne Brinton (Deadpool, Game of Thrones), Gungnir Animation Studio will develop original series and feature films for the Gungnir Animation Network, a YouTube-first channel.
Medney said, “I’m thrilled to throw Gungnir headfirst into direct-to-fan animation – not on a platform that shapes culture, but one that is culture. Our mission is nothing short of tearing up the old playbook and building the Cartoon Network of the digital era. With a killer team and deep industry ties, we’re here to ignite a new wave of fan-powered storytelling.”
Gungnir has revealed an advisory board, including Gotham Group founder and CEO and Percy Jackson, Maze Runner producer Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Emmy and Peabody Award–winning producer Curtis Lelash (Adventure Time), former CAA Agent Barry Kotler, Inkwell Technology Studios co-founder and CEO Oliver Luckett, investor and advisor Kathy Schlein, and filmmaker and creator Olan Rogers (Final Space).
“Writing bold, original, fan-forward stories on a boundless platform is what every genre writer dreams of, and I’m very excited to help build that opportunity with the perfect team, for both creators and fans,” said Eric W. Phillips.
Gungnir Entertainment is expanding its creative universe with the launch of this animation studio as several projects are already in active development like, Deadweight, a supernatural action-comedy from comedian Bobby Lee (Mad TV), They Bleed Black, a Kaiju-battling period piece from J. Hotham (Handmaid’s Tale, Jessica Jones), Big Guns, an action-satire from Price James (You Cannot Kill David Arquette) & Thomas Steventon, Wild North, a nautical action-thriller in the future Arctic from Eric W. Phillips (For All Mankind, The Umbrella Academy) and adaptations of Gungnir publishing fan-favourites, Chupacabra: Tales of Blood and Ink about a teenager’s quest to solve a cultural legend and the disappearance of her father, and Mutant Cats, an off-the-wall comedy about unlikely heroes.
Wayne Brinton mentioned, “Gungnir is putting power back in the hands of artists and rewriting how this industry treats creativity. By streamlining pipelines and launching franchises that connect deeply with audiences, the studio will deliver original series and films that reflect the imagination of their creators – bold, distinctive, and built to resonate globally.”
Rosa Tran shared, “Building a network and being able to guide stories and shows for fans is a once-in-a-lifetime endeavor that we will not take lightly. We have a big hill to climb, so put on those hiking boots and let’s go!”
Gungnir Animation has been established on the foundation of Gungnir Publishing, which maintains a strategic partnership with Macmillan Publishers, one of the world’s major book publishers. This collaboration enables Gungnir’s stories to extend into publishing, animation, merchandise and live events, creating opportunities for audience engagement across multiple formats.
