Nick Greenlights Two New Animated Series
[via press release]
NICKELODEON GREENLIGHTS TWO BRAND-NEW ANIMATED SERIES:
MAX & THE MIDKNIGHTS AND ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
Best-Selling Book Series Max & the Midknights Comes to Life in Original 20-Episode Series
Buddy Comedy Rock, Paper, Scissors Picked Up from Nickelodeon’s Intergalactic Shorts Program
BURBANK, Calif.—November 16, 2021—The adventures of a 10-year-old girl dreaming of knighthood and the hijinks of best friends Rock, Paper and Scissors will soon unfold on Nickelodeon with the pickup of two all-new animated series. Nickelodeon has greenlit Max & the Midknights, based on the best-selling children’s book series written and drawn by acclaimed author and cartoonist Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate), and Rock, Paper, Scissors, the first short picked up for series from Nickelodeon’s Intergalactic Shorts Program. Today’s announcement was made by Ramsey Naito, President of Animation, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. Max & the Midknights and Rock, Paper, Scissors will be produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank.
“These two series packed with relatable characters, hilarious escapades and rich, imaginative worlds are the perfect additions to our Nickelodeon content family,” said Naito. “Translating the mega-popular Max & the Midknights from a book to television series is a creative undertaking that we can’t wait to dive into, and the comedic adventures of friends Rock, Paper and Scissors is truly made for our Nickelodeon audience.”
Said Peirce: “I am absolutely delighted to join forces with my friends at Nickelodeon to bring Max & the Midknights to life. Nickelodeon’s passion for unforgettable stories and iconic characters is unparalleled, and there’s no partner I’d rather work with. I couldn’t be happier.”
Max & the Midknights (20 episodes) follows a determined 10-year-old girl named Max, who pursues her dream of becoming a knight by leading her friends on an epic adventure in the fantastical medieval kingdom of Byjovia. The greenlight marks Nickelodeon’s second series based off the beloved works from Peirce and follows Big Nate, which is set to debut next year.
As a small girl with big ideas in the Middle Ages, Max will defy the status quo, fight for justice, and inspire everyone she meets with her feisty and fearless leadership. Not only will Max and the Midknights battle sword-wielding zombies, duel a malevolent sorceress, and tame a fire-breathing dragon, they’ll also have loads of fun, forge lasting bonds of friendship, and push each other to be braver and bolder versions of themselves. Clever, kind, and seriously sassy, Max is always ready to lend a hand — or a sword — whenever anyone needs help.
Rock, Paper, Scissors (20 episodes) brings the iconic childhood game to life! This character-driven comedy follows the hilarious shenanigans of roommates Rock, Paper, and Scissors on their hijinks and ridiculous adventures. Rock, the moral compass of the group, is always struggling at his dream of becoming a model; Paper is an inventor and the brains of the group (if by “brains” you mean “making stuff that’s always blowing up”); and Scissors is the wannabe cool guy whose ego brings an endless fountain of chaos to these three friends. No matter how much they compete and mess with each other, at the end of the day, they will always bond over their shared love of one thing: wacky nonsense.
The Max & the Midknights television series is executive produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Jane Startz (Ella Enchanted, The Magic School Bus, Baby Sitter’s Club) and Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate) and produced by Amy McKenna (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines). Sharon Flynn (All Hail King Julien) and David Skelly (The Muppets, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc.) serve as co-executive producers and showrunners. Nathan Schram, Director, Development, Nickelodeon Animation, is overseeing development and production of the series for Nickelodeon.
Rock, Paper, Scissors is created and executive produced by Kyle Stegina (Robot Chicken) and Josh Lehrman (Robot Chicken). Bob Boyle (The Fairly OddParents) and Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party) serve as executive producers. Development is overseen for Nickelodeon by Kari Kim, Vice President, Animation Development, Nickelodeon Animation, and Daniel Wineman, Vice President, Animation Development, Nickelodeon Animation.
Peirce’s comedic-adventure Max & the Midknights book series have spent multiple weeks on the New York Times’ Best-Seller list. The book series is published in 14 languages around the globe and are available as ebooks and audiobooks. The books are published by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.
Max & the Midknights underscores Nickelodeon’s strategy to be the home of the biggest franchises kids and families love, and it expands Nickelodeon’s growing portfolio of influential properties that already includes SpongeBob SquarePants, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, The Patrick Star Show, PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Blue’s Clues & You!, the all-new animated Star Trek: Prodigy series, The Smurfs partnership and the Transformers co-production.
Nick’s Intergalactic Shorts Program launched in June 2019 and is overseen by Naito, with Vernon serving as the program’s executive producer and Paul Watling (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as co-executive producer. Kim and Wineman oversee development and production of the program, which is designed to identify and develop original comedy-driven content for kids from creative voices and passionate storytellers.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 42nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing, and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC).