Legion M's 2021 "Year End Review"

We Sold Our First Show!

In early 2021, Legion M closed a deal with a major streaming partner and sold our very first TV show developed inside the company. This is a huge milestone and we believe it is a major inflection point in the company. Unfortunately due to contractual obligations we cannot yet publicly announce the name of the project or the streaming partner, but once we can, the Legion will be the first to know! PLEASE SEE OUR JULY 2022 MAJOR PROJECT UPDATE HERE

The Man In The White Van

In late October, Legion M wrapped principal photography on The Man In The White Van, a Hitchcockian true-crime thriller starring Sean Astin, Ali Larter, Madison Wolfe, Skai Jackson, Brec Bassinger, and Gavin Warren, with plans for release in 2022. Due to mandatory Covid protocols we were unable to bring investors to set this year. That’s why in 2022 we plan to release a series of behind the scenes videos in the run up to the release to open a window into our 5 weeks of production. We’ll be introducing you to the cast and crew, sharing the triumphs and challenges, and showing how we produced our latest project. Learn more about our time on set here.

Calculated

One project we are especially excited about is Calculated, a feature film series based on the novels by Nova McBee that’s being developed by the team at OneDoor Studios. Legion M is invested in this project and together with the team at OneDoor was able to sell out the $2 Million fundraise to develop the project. We’re now actively approaching A-list screenwriters to pen the first draft of the screenplay. If you’d like to learn more about Calculated, check out the fundraising page here, or our livestream discussion with Nova McBee.

Darknights and Daydreams

Another exciting project we were thrilled to announce this year is our hopefully Broadway bound play Darknights and Daydreams. D&D (we know, right?) is based on the memoir of producer Michael Uslan (The Boy Who Loved Batman) the creator and originator of the Batman movie franchise. Michael bought the rights to Batman in the 70’s, and after 10 years of struggle, produced the first Batman movie in 1989 starring Michael Keaton — changing superhero movies forever. We’ve partnered with Bob Nederlander (yes, THOSE Nederlanders) to develop the story for the stage. As part of our mission to find creative ways to monetize development, we launched a kickstarter campaign and offered a number of exciting perks to our community, including lunch with Michael Uslan, signed copies of his memoir, and tickets to live table readings of the play in development.

Events!

We were so thrilled to be able to return to live events this year and meet many of our investors and members in person. We attended C2E2 in Chicago, San Diego Comic Con “Special Edition,” and hosted our largest booth ever (80’x30’) at Los Angeles Comic Con. Check out the video from our LACC booth here.

William “Captain Kirk” Shatner

In early December we were finally able to break the news that William Shatner (Star Trek, T.J. Hooker, Boston Legal) had signed on to be an advisor to Legion M. We wanted to make sure he approved all of our announcement materials, and he was a little busy GOING TO SPACE and all that. However the announcement was worth the wait, with Bill penning an op-ed about the power of fandom that hit home for us. We’re excited to welcome the Captain to our team and look forward to a bold future where no fan has gone before!

Our Most Successful Investment Round to Date

If there is one indicator that we’re doing something right, it’s the success of our two most recent Rounds of Funding. As many of you have seen, we decided to make the move to a new funding portal, StartEngine, to tap into their community and take advantage of some of their unique rewards. The response was astonishing — we raised over $1.2 Million in the first week alone and are on track to sell out our $3 Million cap soon. We’re thrilled to welcome our thousands of new investors to the Legion!

M-Day: Legion M Turns 5

It is often said that startups are a risky venture. A statistic we have heard is that 9 out of 10 startups fail, half of which within their first 5 years of business. In March of 2021, Legion M officially surpassed this milestone. To celebrate, many friends of the company sent in congratulations to the Legion M investors. We also hosted a 4 hour livestream, reminiscing about the days when we were just a young company.

MANDY Funko POP!

Legion M worked with Funko to create a line of licensed POP! collectable figures based on our film MANDY. Not only did Funko release the MANDY POP! line that expanded across multiple retailers around the world, but Legion M also had our first exclusive POP! figure in the Evil Red Miller variant. Between merchandise licensing income and direct-to-consumer revenue, this initiative brought in tens of thousands of dollars to the company's bottom line and solidified a long-term relationship with Funko.

Nicolas Cage — Red Miller Hyper-Realistic Mask

A year ago, Legion M closed a merchandise likeness contract with Nicolas Cage himself to create merchandise for our film MANDY including his character Red Miller. Since then, we have released various apparel, accessories, licensed collections, Funko POP!, and the Red Miller Hyper-Realistic Mask by Rubber Larry. Rubber Larry is an FX artist who makes incredibly realistic masks for film and TV. Never before had he sold his masks for retail, but when we saw his Red Miller mask, we couldn't resist asking him! Approved by Nicolas Cage himself, this $1,999 mask/art piece will only ever have 30 units ever made — and they are selling.

Film Scout Selects — I’m Your Man

This year, Legion M was proud to partner with Bleecker Street for the release of Dan Stevens’ I’m Your Man, Germany's Official Academy Awards® submission, and the first official pick for our "Film Scout Selects" initiative. The goal of the “Film Scout Selects” initiative is to find and showcase hidden gems. We want to shine a light on movies and TV shows that deserve to be seen, and help them rise above the noise. In exchange, Legion M earns a small financial stake in the project, along with other strategic perks or benefits. This is a way for Legion M to earn revenue (and foster relationships with artists, distributors, and other partners) by promoting films we believe deserve to be seen. Everybody wins! Rent I'm Your Man tonight On-Demand on Amazon and AppleTV.

Interns

We wanted to take a moment to thank all the hardworking interns of Legion M. Your feedback, script coverage, designs, and research are an integral to keeping the company running smoothly. If you’re interested in joining Legion M as an intern, you can sign up for the next semester here.

Projects In Development Announced in 2021

Defiant — The True-Life Story Of Captain Robert Smalls

Two years ago, a viral meme detailing the life of Captain Robert Smalls began circulating the internet. Somebody posted it in the Legion M private facebook group. It quickly became clear that our community would, as the post puts it, "Watch the HELL" out of a Robert Smalls movie. Then something unexpected happened. One of our investors, a published author, told us they had written a script about Captain Smalls and asked if we'd like to read it. So we did. And it was good. Really good. Since then we've made it our mission get this movie made. It's Glory meets Ocean's 11 — an amazing and uplifting story about the most audacious heist in American History. AND IT'S ALL TRUE!! Today Legion M is over 125,000 strong, and we've partnered with The Wolper Organization (producers of Roots) and legendary actor/producer/director Bill Duke to bring this movie to the screen. We're searching for the perfect actor to play a 22 year old Robert Smalls, and the perfect director to tell this story the way it was meant to be told. Click here to learn more about the story of Robert Smalls.

The Gray Area

After his execution for double-crossing a drug cartel, Rudy Chance, a brutal, corrupt cop and womanizer expects he'll wind up in Hell. Instead, he finds himself in The Gray Area. Here, he is forced to combat evil for an afterlife police force in order to gain a shot at redemption. Given extraordinary powers, Chance hunts down the wicked to condemn and the worthy to heal. But can he control his own dark side or will it lead him to eternal damnation? Originally published as a three-volume comic book and later as a graphic novel, Legion M has attached one of our favorite writers to adapt the story as a feature film or television series. THE GRAY AREA is created by John Romita JR (Co-creator of Kick-ass) and Glen Brunswick. Written by Glen Brunswick, illustrated by John Romita JR and Klaus Janson. Click here to learn more.

The Book

Introducing "THE BOOK" a graphic novel from Arcana Comics co-created by Erik Hendrix and Michael David Nelsen. The story tracks a group of young friends backpacking through Italy who come upon a travel guide called “The Book,” which promises unique off-the-beaten-path adventures. However, they get more than they bargained for when The Book leads them into the clutches of a demonic cult. We believe that “The Book” has immense franchise potential. A thematic mashup of “The Da Vinci Code,” “Hostel,” "Ninth Gate," and “Final Destination,” the storyline leaves plenty of room to explore a world in which different travelers around the globe discover lost pages of the evil text. We’re thrilled to be working with Arcana Comics, David Uslan, and creators Erik Hendrix & Michael David Nelsen to bring the world of “The Book” to the screen! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to develop this awesome story. Click here to learn more.

Destination Fantastic

Introducing our latest TV series in development: "DESTINATION FANTASTIC." Think of it as "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" but for geek culture, hosted by famed Game Master and fine artist Stefan Pokorny. Stefan Pokorny is the visionary founder behind "Dwarven Forge," and the perfect guide to lead us on the quest for the origins of fantasy. A classically trained painter and sculptor, Stefan is uniquely positioned at the intersection of art, history, and all things geek. For more than 20 years, Dwarven Forge has been the leader in miniature role-playing game terrain, and you may already know Stefan from the acclaimed documentary "The Dwarvenaut." He's also a dear friend of the Legion! In "Destination Fantastic," the world is the limit. Some episodes may even have special guests! What if we went to the New Zealand set of "The Lord Of the Rings" with director Peter Jackson? Or attended a gaming convention in Italy with Joe Manganiello? Or toured the "Game of Thrones" locations in Iceland with George R. R. Martin? That's what THIS show is all about. Click here to learn more.