Angry Birds movie will be produced by Despicable Me's John Cohen

Despicable Me producer John Cohen has signed on to produce the Angry Birds movie coming in summer 2016, developer Rovio Entertainment announced today.

Former Marvel Studios chairman and Iron Man producer David Maisel will serve as executive producer to the film, and Rovio will finance and retain full creative control during production.

"From both an entertainment and strategic perspective, Rovio is at the forefront of game innovation and is trailblazing terrific new ways for Angry Birds fans to interact with these characters," Cohen said in a press release. "I've personally spent countless hours playing the Angry Birds games over the last few years, which I can now happily justify as research for the movie."

Prior to working on Despicable Me, Cohen worked with Illumination and Universal on the 2011 animated film Hop. He also previously served as vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation, and his credentials include Ice Age, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Robots and Horton Hears a Who. Cohen also developed the 2007 Alvin and the Chipmunks movie.