Publishing, gaming, film and television development all in the mix as luchadores star in sci-fi, fantasy, horror and action adventures.
July 25, 2022 – San Diego, CA
During the annual “Not-So-Strange Bedfellows: The Relationship Between Comics & Pro Wrestling” panel this past Friday at San Diego Comic Con, Masked Republic® President & COO Kevin Kleinrock unveiled the company’s new Cinelucha® brand to attendees.
Inspired by the more than 100 classic lucha libre films and multiple comic book series produced between 1952 and the late 1970s, the brand will reimagine the genre for modern transmedia storytelling beginning with an anthology series of comics and a tabletop game.
The comic book anthology series will feature stories and art by both well known creatives and members of the up and coming generation of writers and artists with talent curated by Hector Rodriguez III of Masked Republic and “Professor Latin X” Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama of the Latinx Pop Lab at the University of Texas, Austin.
Masked Republic founder and CEO Ruben Zamora said, “Cinelucha will go beyond simply watching a movie or reading a comic book. The storyworld, our initiatives and our officially licensed products will give fans an opportunity to step into a world of masked heroes and classic villains! While the adventures may start out on a comic page and have one conclusion in print, that very same adventure will be in the players’ control when they play it in the Cinelucha tabletop game.”
Company President & COO Kevin Kleinrock added, “For decades now, fans have clamored for a return of the lucha libre film. Cinelucha will not only let us tell stories across multiple genres and fan bases including sci-fi, fantasy, horror and action-adventure, but it will let us allow fans to control of narratives and outcomes as well in physical and digital games and beyond as we expand our footprint with a number of amazing partners.”
Plans for the transmedia storyworld include publishing, tabletop, RPG and video games, immersive location-based entertainment, collectibles and more. Licensing partners for the brand announced during San Diego Comic Con were:
– Blacklist Games for tabletop games debuting in late 2022
– Boss Fight Studio for collectibles
– NERDS Clothing for apparel
The company stated that more licensing partners would be announced later this year. The comic series is expected to launch in 2023.
ABOUT MASKED REPUBLIC®
Masked Republic, a privately held company, is the first integrated live event, merchandising and media organization uniquely centered in the emerging growth market of lucha libre and dedicated to expanding the sport, deemed an intangible part of Mexican culture, beyond the borders of Mexico. The company’s core lines of business include representation of dozens of the biggest stars in the industry, worldwide merchandising through the company’s Legends of Lucha Libre® brand, live event production and management, production and distribution of content across multiple platforms including television, home entertainment, pay-per-view digital media and film. The company is headquartered in San Diego, CA with offices in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Mexico City and London.
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