Marvel Studios chairman joins Rovio
Comic book movie veteran to become executive producer of Angry Bird films
David Maisel, executive producer of films such as Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor is to become a special advisor at Rovio and will serve as executive producer on future Angry Birds films.
Maisel was previously chairman of film production arm Marvel Studios and executive vice president, office of chief executive at parent company Marvel Entertainment. He was instrumental in launching Marvel Studios and also led the sale of Marvel Entertainment to Disney.
"I’m very honoured and excited to join Rovio, and my goal is to help unleash its great potential," said Maisel.
"Rovio has already had amazing success and established a great brand with Angry Birds. The business model, intellectual properties, and the franchise potential of Angry Birds give Rovio the most exciting prospects I have seen in the entertainment business since Marvel in 2003."
Rovio recently acquired Finnish animation studio Kombo, who will create animated content for the company, presumably including future feature films.
In May of 2011 Rovio indicated that the Angry Bird franchise had reached 200 million downloads worldwide (the majority of them free) but the company now claims that this has already surpassed 250 million.