Star Wars Mark Hamill teams up with New-Gen at Comic Con

Today at the New York Comic Con 2011 located in The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York was made official that Mark Hamill has joined A.P.N.G Enterprises Inc. in a new role of ‘creative consultant’ on the NEW-GEN superhero comic franchise and movie. He will also play a role (currently unannounced) in the NEW-GEN movie. The New-Gen team made the announcements at the NEW-GEN panel and press junket which featured Mark Hamill, NEW-GEN creator J.D. Matonti, transmedia expert Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment and Abdul Rashid, the artist behind the series.

The panel took place today Saturday, October 15 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Javits Center, American Airlines Theater 1A06 and the roundtable junket followed the panel from 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Javits Center, room 1E08.

View slideshow: Comic Con 2011

“’NEW-GEN’ is a fresh and powerful new story that will surely resonate with audiences across multiple platforms,” says Mark Hamill, legendary actor and voice artist. “I’m honored to join the franchise and upcoming feature film as creative consultant and aim to evolve this compelling universe for fans to enjoy with the A.P.N.G. Enterprises’ team.”

Hamill has been giving great support to “NEW-GEN” at the convention with two graphic novel signings, on Oct. 14 and 16 at (Booth #770), and at the panel today alongside franchise creators J.D. & Chris Matonti, comic artist behind the series Abdul H. Rashid, and transmedia expert Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment, who provided support in developing the “NEW-GEN” story world. Originated as a comic book series printed and distributed by Marvel Comics, “NEW-GEN” is a transmedia property with characters and a storyline that reach across platforms, from movies to merchandise, television, mobile, video games and beyond (www.newgenuniverse.com).

About the NEW-GEN Junket:

J.D. MATONTI is NEW-GEN’s ® founder, creator, and director. He conceived the NEW-GEN ® Universe and created the characters, creatures and robots that inhabit it. J.D. is the editor and writer of the six issue comic series NEW-GEN, as well as the five issue series NEW-GEN: NEW DAWN, which is distributed by Marvel. The NEW-GEN comic series is a prequel story to the upcoming NEW-GEN ® live action feature film.. J.D. has directed several music videos for top recording artists and he also directed and produced the feature film “Lethal Justice” and executive produced several live action independent films.

Chris Matonti, founder and producer of the NEW-GEN ® franchise is an experienced and recognized filmmaker. Chris has a multi-faceted background in the entertainment industry and has produced several independent films and raised financing for them. Chris produced the critically acclaimed documentary “Money Driven Medicine” (www.moneydrivenmedicine.org) with Oscar winner Alex Gibney (“Taxi To The Dark Side”). Chris is responsible for oversight of the company’s budget and strategic business development and spearheads the capital raise of A.P.N.G. Enterprises, Inc.

Julia Coppola is a co-creator, executive producer and NEW-GEN founder. Ms. Coppola has served as a financing partner and executive producer on various films. Ms. Coppola executive produced the documentary “Money Driven Medicine,” which screened across the country, including a special screening for members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol. Ms. Coppola has edited the NEW-GEN Comic Book Series I through VI. Julia created, produced, and edited the NEW-GEN story bible along with Jeff Gomez and the Starlight Runner Team. Julia serves as editor on the ongoing NEW-GEN Comic series.

Mark Hamill is the celebrated actor who had the legendary leading role of Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Hamill serves as Creative Consultant for the NEW-GEN Franchise and will play an undisclosed role in the live action film.

Abdul H. Rashid, originally from Flint, MI., is an American graphic illustrator, creator, and developer of comic properties that focus in the genres of sci-fi, action-adventure and horror. One of the most highlighted of these projects is the NEW-GEN series, from A.P.N.G. Enterprises and distributed through Marvel Comics, which includes the currently developing prequel NEW-GEN: NEW DAWN. He has always enjoyed the art of story telling and sees the comic industry as the modern day vehicle for creating new and progressive presentations of mythology. Having worked as a freelance for the past four years, he is in the beginning stages of putting out various creator-owned projects through his new studio AHR Visions in the coming year, specializing in extreme action and horror related stories. He is working to contribute fresh ideas and concepts to the industry and entertain the millions of fan of the genres in dynamic ways, ultimately including cross-media projects.

Jeff Gomez and his team have produced the Story Bible for NEW-GEN. Gomez is the world’s leading producer of transmedia entertainment properties. He is an expert at incubating new entertainment franchises, strategic planning and production for cross-platform implementation. As CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a New York-based digital production company, Jeff transforms intellectual properties into global franchises that successfully leverage an array of media channels and mass audience touchpoints. Jeff has worked on such blockbuster universes as Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron Legacy and Fairies, Microsoft's Halo, James Cameron's Avatar, Hasbro’s Transformers, Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Coca-Cola's Happiness Factory. Jeff is a board member of the Producers Guild of America East, and sits on the advisory board of the PGA New Media Council. Jeff and Starlight Runner have recently been featured in Forbes, BusinessWeek, Variety, Publishers Weekly and The Wall Street Journal. http://www.starlightrunner.com