Mutant X

Tribune Entertainment

Tribune Entertainment President Dick Askin believes he has the next big weekend franchise in with Mutant X.

Askin knows a little something about the weekend-syndication business.

His studio already has three weekly series up and running, including this year's break-out hit Andromeda, with Kevin Sorbo. But Askin is especially high on Mutant X
for one reason: It's based on the Marvel comic-book strip The X-Men. Last year, the film version of The X-Men
brought in millions at the box office and created quite a stir for the brand name, a big positive, says Askin.

"It's got great marquee value and certainly it is an established brand," he says. "I think we have set a new standard with the visual effects this year on Andromeda
and we are going to take all of what we learned on that series and apply them to Mutant X. It's the same production partners as Andromeda, and we've got some of people from The X-Men
movie on board."

Mutant X
is produced by Canada-based Fireworks Entertainment in association with Marvel Entertainment and Tribune Entertainment. Rick Ungar, president of Marvel Characters Group and an executive producer on Mutant X, says the show will take the film and comic-book strip to a new dimension.

"It's a spin-off in a sense, but it kind of takes it to the next level," explains Ungar, who ran New World's syndication division. Production on Mutant X
will begin this spring in Toronto and Ungar, says it will likely feature an ensemble cast without a star.