The Venture Bros.
(updated 5-19-03)

Chris McCulloch of Tick cartoon fame and Patrick Warburton of live Tick fame have a new project called The Venture Bros. The pilot episode aired on Cartoon Network on Sunday, February 16th at 11:30.

I have been told that the show will be picked up for 13 episodes. The show is being written now by Chris McCulloch and Eric Hammer and at least one episode is being written by Ben Edlund, creator of The Tick.

Currently, the intent is to start animation in June, and the first episodes will (hopefully) air next February or March. Tentatively, the show will air at 11 pm Sunday nights on Cartoon Network.

From Chris McCulloch, creator of The Venture Bros. and writer from The Tick animated series and The Tick live series:

"It's called "The Venture Bros." and at it's core it's kind of a parody of the old Jonny Quest cartoons from the mid-sixties, as well as The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift boys' adventure novels of the past. So it's got elements of adventure, spy, science fiction and even some comic book genre stuff. The Venture brothers, Hank and Dean, are fraternal twins; teenaged idiots who think, act and talk like it's the sixties (though it takes place in the present). They're the sons of Dr. Venture, a world renowned scientist (mostly world renowned due to the reputation of his late father, who though we don't see him in the pilot was about as cool as Doc Savage in his day) who can't really stand them. Doc pops "diet pills" like candy and reeks of
failure and unrealized potential. Their family bodyguard, Brock Samson, is a former secret agent who responds to any and all crises with relentless, remorseless brutality. He's kind of a white trash James Bond/Steve McQueen.

In the pilot episode, the family travels to New York City because Doc is scheduled to present his latest invention at an international science convention at the United Nations. They are pursued by The Monarch--a megalomaniacal, butterfly-themed supervillain unworthy of James Bond or the Fantastic Four with a long time hatred of Dr. Venture--and a mysterious
ninja, Otaku Senzuri, who wants to get his hands on the Doc's invention. While Doc gives his presentation uptown, the boys get lost in the city's seamy downtown--meeting hookers, muggers and drug dealers as they flee The Monarch. And of course, no family science fiction action adventure story would be complete without supersonic jet airplanes, mummies, crocodiles and army guys."

Voice cast includes:

James Urbaniak ("Henry Fool", "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") as Dr. Venture
Patrick Warburton ("The Tick", "Seinfeld", "Men in Black 2") as Brock Samson
Michael Sinterniklaas (voice of Leonardo in the new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") as Dean Venture

Features the music of Steroid Maximus, Foetus and Manorexia (all of which are
actually J.G. Thirlwell)