London-based studio Jolly Exciting is developing a new brand called A.W.A. (Aliens With Attitude) and has brought in veteran kids TV creator Keith Chapman (pictured right) to steer the franchise-building process.

Jolly’s creative director Stefan Maingot (pictured left) created this concept for six- to 11-year-olds. And Britain’s Big Picture Licensing, which will manage the IP globally, is already talking to potential production, distribution and licensing partners.

The initial plan is to build the brand as an animated film trilogy, a 20 × 26-minute series and an original soundtrack. Chapman will be an EP and creative consultant on the project. He says he was instantly drawn to A.W.A.’s strong potential as a 360-degree franchise akin to ones like Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “It’s got aliens, spaceships and music. I loved the originality,” he tells Kidscreen. 

The premise explores what happens when a group of regular kids meets a crew of aliens who grew up listening to hip hop via a pirated radio broadcast from Earth. They band together to stop an oppressive ruler who wants to kidnap the radio station’s DJ and control the galaxy’s access to hip hop.

“I immediately thought this ticked every box [to potentially] become another billion-dollar brand,” notes Chapman, adding that the IP offers “a lot of emotional heart” and uniquely leverages hip hop, which has a natural appeal for today’s Gen Alpha audience. (This music genre has inspired a bevvy of kids shows in recent years, including Snoop Dogg’s Doggyland, Sky Kids’ MC Grammar’s Wonder Raps! and Sesame Workshop’s Hip Hop Howls.)

The hip hop angle also sets up the A.W.A. brand for L&M opportunities in categories such as apparel and sneakers. But the content is still in very early development, and critical details like animation style won’t be finalized until a broadcaster and production studio have come on board. And there’s flexibility in the release plan, says Chapman—A.W.A. could work as a series that expands into movies or a film franchise that eventually spins off into a small-screen iteration.