So, quick recap on where we were and how we got here:
Hasbro managed to secure the rights to Micronauts around 2009, on the back of the success of Transformers and its sequel, eyeing the property as another potential film adaption with Paramount. Around 2014, Hasbro was apparently eyeing a relaunch associated with Transformers, but was scuttled for a bigger push later, especially as Star Trek director JJ Abrams expressed interest in the property. Things were quiet until 2019 when a writer/director were selected...but Paramount finally removed their title from their schedule in 2020. Back around 2019 (?) , an Allspark Animation license catalog was found, which confirmed the existence of a (completed) Micronauts cartoon.
Meanwhile....
The WGA (Writers Guild of America) is preparing to go on strike. Among the the many issues at the heart of this strike are issues resulting from the changes in how content is consumed, particularly on TV. Between shorter seasons, and the rise of streaming (which has eliminated the typical "Fall-Spring" television airing season and created new issues in terms of residuals), writers are seeking compensation. One issues that seems to have arisen is dealing with complete, or near complete, projects that are cancelled. Batgirl being a huge example of a project, nearly complete, but got scuttled for tax reasons. As a result, NOBODY involved can claim credit for something that is not released.
Well, according to writer Eric Rogers (who shared a post from staff writer Mitchell Golden), that's what happened with the 2020 Micronauts cartoon. The 52 (!) episode series was complete in January 2020. Hasbro ultimately decided to shelve the series because they wanted the film to hit first (perhaps wanting to avoid the Flex Fighters flop?). But, Hasbro and Paramount could never get the film made, so Hasbro wrote off the series as a tax write off. This is particularly odd as 2020 resulted in a "streaming gold rush" as people jumped on streaming services during the pandemic. And with live action productions paused for months, a completed cartoon series should have been an easy sell to SOMEONE.
The end result was that, because it was never released, the writers (and other staff) that worked on the series were "left with a 3+ year gap" on their resumes. That's a major issue behind the writers' strike.
Hasbro managed to secure the rights to Micronauts around 2009, on the back of the success of Transformers and its sequel, eyeing the property as another potential film adaption with Paramount. Around 2014, Hasbro was apparently eyeing a relaunch associated with Transformers, but was scuttled for a bigger push later, especially as Star Trek director JJ Abrams expressed interest in the property. Things were quiet until 2019 when a writer/director were selected...but Paramount finally removed their title from their schedule in 2020. Back around 2019 (?) , an Allspark Animation license catalog was found, which confirmed the existence of a (completed) Micronauts cartoon.
Meanwhile....
The WGA (Writers Guild of America) is preparing to go on strike. Among the the many issues at the heart of this strike are issues resulting from the changes in how content is consumed, particularly on TV. Between shorter seasons, and the rise of streaming (which has eliminated the typical "Fall-Spring" television airing season and created new issues in terms of residuals), writers are seeking compensation. One issues that seems to have arisen is dealing with complete, or near complete, projects that are cancelled. Batgirl being a huge example of a project, nearly complete, but got scuttled for tax reasons. As a result, NOBODY involved can claim credit for something that is not released.
Well, according to writer Eric Rogers (who shared a post from staff writer Mitchell Golden), that's what happened with the 2020 Micronauts cartoon. The 52 (!) episode series was complete in January 2020. Hasbro ultimately decided to shelve the series because they wanted the film to hit first (perhaps wanting to avoid the Flex Fighters flop?). But, Hasbro and Paramount could never get the film made, so Hasbro wrote off the series as a tax write off. This is particularly odd as 2020 resulted in a "streaming gold rush" as people jumped on streaming services during the pandemic. And with live action productions paused for months, a completed cartoon series should have been an easy sell to SOMEONE.
The end result was that, because it was never released, the writers (and other staff) that worked on the series were "left with a 3+ year gap" on their resumes. That's a major issue behind the writers' strike.
