Yara Shahidi Cast as Star of “Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light”
Audible Inc. today announced the casting of Yara Shahidi (The Sun Is Also a Star, Grown-ish, Black-ish) in the recently announced Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light, co-written by Lee and Edgar-nominated author Kat Rosenfield and co-created by Lee, Luke Lieberman and Ryan Silbert prior to Stan Lee’s passing in 2018. This epic story, written and created for Audible as a first-of-its-kind listening event, invites listeners to unleash the power of their imaginations, and introduces new superheroes set within a tech-centric, highly-connected world, unnervingly reminiscent of our own.
A global release across Audible international territories, featuring additional translations and global performers, will be announced in the coming weeks. In addition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will be publishing a novel in September. Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light will be available for download exclusively from Audible on June 27th, but can be preordered now at Audible.com/ATrickofLight.
“I’m honored to help bring to life Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light. This project has allowed me to dive deeper into a world of imagination created for us by Stan Lee, whose stories seem to always transcend time,” said Yara Shahidi.
David Blum, Editor in Chief of Audible Originals, commented: “We’re thrilled to have Yara Shahidi bring this amazing story to life—she is both an enormously talented performer and one of the most progressive voices of her generation. We expect that Yara’s riveting performance paired with this extraordinary new universe will make A Trick of Light an instant favorite among our listeners.”
"At its heart, A Trick of Light is about the need for human connection and the power that comes from youth-led action and discovery of collective purpose. Yara embodies all of that and more. Her thoughtful social engagement and passion for science and technology echoes so much of what Stan was aiming for in this new universe. We can't wait for Yara to present this story to the world,” said co-creators Luke Lieberman and Ryan Silbert.
"Yara's voice will make this story sing. As an accomplished artist and profoundly talented performer, I’m excited to hear her bring these strong characters to life,” said co-writer, Kat Rosenfield.
Gill Champion, Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment President, said: “We are excited to introduce a worldwide audience to A Trick of Light. Stan was always an innovator and I know he would have loved this first-of-its-kind global launch. This innovative global deal with Audible is part of our continued efforts to propel Stan’s iconic legacy to his loyal fans who span the entire world.”
Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light introduces listeners to a mysterious young woman, Nia, whose fate is intertwined with a seemingly ordinary Midwestern teenager, Cameron Ackerson, whose quest for YouTube stardom takes him to the heart of the Great Lakes Triangle, where he is imbued with the power to "see" and "hear" a new reality. As Nia and Cameron’s relationship grows, they conspire to create a more righteous online universe, dishing out justice big and small, but wind up crossing a shadowy outfit called OPTIC, which goes after them for its own nefarious purposes. Meanwhile, a threat of galactic proportions emerges, imperiling humanity’s very existence by harnessing our individual desire to connect as the very means to destroy us.
Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light joins a robust slate of Audible Originals, exclusive audio entertainment created by celebrated storytellers from the worlds of theater, journalism, comedy, literature and more. Audible Originals offer powerful performances created for listeners by award-winning actors, writers and comedians, spanning every genre and length.
ABOUT KAT ROSENFIELD, LUKE LIEBERMAN, RYAN SILBERT
Kat Rosenfield is a pop culture and political writer and Edgar-nominated author of Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone (2012) and Inland (2014). A former reporter for MTV News, her work has appeared in outlets including Wired, Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, Playboy, US Weekly, and TV Guide.
Ryan Silbert is an award-winning author, filmmaker and founder of Origin Story Entertainment, a multi-platform entertainment company with a global focus on storytelling. Recent film projects include God of Love (Oscar Winner), Spike Lee's The Girl is in Trouble. He is a co-creator with Stan Lee and Luke Lieberman on Stan Lee's Alliances: A Trick of Light, an Audible Original.
Luke Lieberman is a writer and filmmaker who started his career in entertainment under the mentorship of Stan Lee. He is responsible for the relaunch of the Red Sonja franchise and overseeing more than 50 graphic novels; writing numerous issues himself, including the upcoming Red Sonja: Birth of a She-Devil for Dynamite Entertainment. Stan Lee's Alliances: A Trick of Light is Luke's first collaboration with Stan Lee and co-creator Ryan Silbert.
ABOUT STAN LEE'S POW! ENTERTAINMENT, INC
Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment Inc. is a multimedia company founded in 2001 by the iconic comic book creator Stan Lee with his friend and business partner Gill Champion, who is the President today, to create and license intellectual properties for entertainment media, including: feature length films, television, merchandising, branded content and other related ancillary markets as well as exclusively maintain and protect the ownership of his name, likeness, voice, trademarks and publicity rights throughout the world. Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment was acquired by Hong Kong-based Camsing International Holding Limited, one of China's leading brand licensing, entertainment, marketing and promotion companies, in 2017. Under leadership of veterans from Marvel and MGM, Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment is working with top writers, artists, animators, filmmakers and actors to extend the legacy of the greatest storyteller of our time.
ABOUT YFAT REISS GENDELL/FOUNDRY LITERARY + MEDIA
Foundry Literary + Media is a full-service literary and media rights agency representing Ernest Cline (Ready Player One), Daymond John (The Power of Broke), Trevor Noah (The Daily Show), Patrick DeWitt (The Sisters Brothers), and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine (Fair Play), among others.
