KIRBYVISION, a new documentary about Jack Kirby announced

Some very exciting news today! Finally! Jack Kirby is getting his own documentary, Kirbyvision, and it’s from some powerhouses: director Ricki Stern (“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” “UFOs: Investigating the Unknown”) and producers Dan Braun and Josh Braun (“The Andy Warhol Diaries”, the Emmy-winning “Wild Wild Country”) of Submarine. Mike Cecchini, Ron Fogelman, and Chris Longo are also attached to produce. 

Long time Beat readers do not need to be reminded that Jack Kirby was possibly the single most dynamic force in the history of American comics. Of course, he created or co-created beloved Marvel characters including Captain America (with Joe Simon), the Avengers, Black Panther, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Thor, the X-Men, and countless others (with comics impresario Stan Lee). 

But more than just helping make superheroes super, he was around for so many comics innovations: kid gang comics, romance comics, and later, the mind bending Fourth World series at DC. And later yet, as an advocate for creators rights with Destroyer Duck and his work for Pacific. 

If that’s not enough, he was also a stand up guy who fought Nazis and bigotry his entire life. 

So yeah, let’s have a Jack Kirby documentary! 

Producers Dan Braun and Josh Braun are best known for co-creating Submarine Entertainment, a leading independent production and distribution agency which focuses on documentaries. (Fun fact: they also worked with The Beat herself back in the day on one of their first jobs, The Anti Gravity Room.) Stern is an Emmy-nominated documentary film director, producer and writer with many many credits. It’s a great team to bring this story to life.

“If there were a Mount Rushmore of 20th century pop culture luminaries, Jack Kirby should be the first one to be carved into the mountain ” says Producer Josh Braun. “‘Kirbyvision’ will let audiences experience the full scope of Jack’s limitless imagination, creativity, and heart.” 

“We are thrilled to work with such a dedicated, passionate, and knowledgeable team of filmmakers,” Lisa Kirby said in her own statement. “The legacy of Jack Kirby is in good hands, as Ricki, Dan, Josh, Ron, Mike, Chris, and their team share the same creative energy that helped my father create boundless universes of characters that continue to inspire us and shape our imaginations.” 

To bring Jack’s story to life, Kirbyvision will work with the Estate of Jack Kirby as represented by the Rosalind Kirby Family Trust, his daughters Lisa and Barbara Kirby, and grandchildren Tracy and Jeremy Kirby, as well as the Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center These resources will provide behidn the scenes personal documents, home movies, and creative materials. 

Randolph Hoppe, Director of the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center says, “Now is the perfect time to tell the complete story of the man whose imagination and craft continue to ignite and shape the dreams of new generations. We’re delighted to be working with Ricki and the whole production team to unlock the life story of a true legend.”

More from the PR:

Kirby drew his way out of an impoverished, Depression-era upbringing when he co-created Captain America, who brazenly punched out Adolf Hitler on the cover of his very first comic, months before the US had entered World War II. He was soon sent into real combat on the frontlines of the war in Europe, a harrowing experience which had a significant impact on his later work. Kirby’s astounding career touched virtually every genre, including war, romance, westerns, science fiction, horror, and, of course, superheroes. His impact is felt beyond comics to this day everywhere from animation to music to blockbuster films. 

Whether noble underdogs battling extraordinary villains, lowly soldiers in the trenches ripped from his own battlefield experiences, remarkably prescient looks at our potential technological future, or man’s relation to the divine nature of the gods, Kirby’s tales are as universal and human as they are mythic and cosmic in their scope. Kirby’s creations and his subsequent struggles have made him a symbol of the enduring power of storytelling. “Kirbyvision” will bring to life the fascinating story of the man who transformed the comic book into an art form and whose work continues to influence and inspire to this day.