Fledgling studio Weirdbunch Entertainment has big plans for creating globally appealing content that’s rooted in the culture and mythology of the Middle East.  

With offices in LA and Saudi Arabia, this new company co-founded by Ammar Al-Sabban (head of creative), B. Earl (head of technology), Keith Fay (head of development and production) and Abdullah Al-Sabban (head of finance) officially launched earlier this week.

This leadership team has extensive creative experience in kids content, animation and comic books. Ammar Al-Sabban is a Saudi puppeteer/actor and writer who worked on Iftah Ya Simsim (the Arabic version of Sesame Street); Earl has penned multiple Marvel comics, including Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Werewolf by Night; and Fay worked at Cartoon Network as a director of original series for nearly a decade (2013 to 2022).

They have been laying the groundwork for Weirdbunch since 2021, when Earl and Ammar Al-Sabban connected at the Jeddah Book Fair and realized there may be an untapped market opportunity for global multiplatform IPs with a Middle Eastern twist.

The studio’s first project will be an original property called The Legend of Soloman (pictured)—featuring what’s billed as the first superhero family of Saudi Arabia. This premise is all about a rebellious teen superhero and his more traditional father learning to put their differences aside and battle a dark curse. Weirdbunch is still in the process of locking down deals with other studios and publishers, but the IP is expected to debut as a four-issue comic book series and a graphic novel compilation. 

Earl tells Kidscreen that the long-term plan is to scale up production and explore a variety of other content genres, formats, audiences and narrative themes. “We are interested in entertainment for children and young adults across all platforms. Currently, comic books and animation are our focus, but we will absolutely be expanding.”