See trailer for Martellus Bennett's animated series
Martellus Bennett isn't just sitting around after retiring from the NFL earlier this year.
His new animated series The Fantastical Adventures of A.J., will be released by his Imagination Agency on July 24 (you can find it on iTunes.)
"Animation allows us to tell stories without boundaries; anything is possible," he said in a statement. "That's the feeling I've always wanted to create with all content we produce at The Imagination Agency," says Bennett.
"To see someone who looks like you in an animated series is an empowering experience. My goal is to make sure that the future generations of kids of color no longer feel left out in media they consume like I often did while growing up. The Fantastical Adventures of A.J. is my way of telling little black girls all over the world that they too can go on great adventures and I believe they should be introduced to that idea at a young age."
The series is a continuation of the "Hey A.J. universe", which the former NFL-er introduced in his first two books, interactive children's apps and podcast and is inspired by his young daughter.
When asked earlier this year by For The Win's Alysha Tsuji who inspired his creativity, Bennett said there was a long list.
"Tim Burton's my favorite director. Willy Wonka's like my Michael Jordan. I don't know," he said. "There's a long list of things. I like Ed Catmull, the guys over at Pixar. I'm not gonna say the other guy's name because he's going through a lot of s- right now that's inappropriate."
He added later that he's just "waiting for somebody to give me the chance to make a full feature film."
MORE:
Did Bryce Harper cheat Kyle Schwarber out of a Home Run Derby title?
The Bachelorette, episode 8 recap: Colton's dating history finally catches up with him
Tony Miles writes emotional apology to WSOP champion John Cynn after slow roll talk
Benches kept clearing in Rays-Twins game because Brian Dozier celebrated a balk
Bachelorette Power Rankings: Becca gets blindsided in Week 8