Netflix has announced that it will be developing a 10-episode series of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá‘s comic, The Umbrella Academy. Despite the comic looking at first glance prime source material for an anime adaptation, Netflix plans to make the show live-action, with a planned premiere date occurring sometime in 2018.
The comic follows the exploits of “a dysfunctional family of superheroes — The Monocle, Spaceboy, The Kraken, The Rumor, The Séance, Number Five, The Horror, and The White Violin — as they work together to solve their father’s mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities”.
A comic about superheroes being adapted into premiere content by an industry giant? A shocking turn of events.
The comic has received critical acclaim, and in a press release, co-creator Way said:
“I am thrilled that The Umbrella Academy has found a home at Netflix. I couldn’t think of a better place for the vision Gabriel Bá and myself had when creating the comic, and cannot wait for people to experience that world as a live action show”.
Cindy Holland, Vice President Of Original Content at Netflix added:
“What drew us to The Umbrella Academy is that it’s wholly unique, visual and stylised. These aren’t the usual superheroes, and this series will embrace the singular tone of the graphic novels — dark yet humorous, supernatural yet grounded in reality. We’re excited to see this world and introduce these unforgettable heroes to Netflix members around the globe”.
Steve Blackman (Fargo TV series) has signed on to be executive producer and showrunner of the series, while the initial pilot will be written by Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist TV series).
There’s simply no better time to be a comic book fan, with adaptations occurring left and right. If the show is successful in capturing the tone of the graphic novels, Netflix could be looking at their new, subversive alternate to their already successful Marvel fare.
#Peace.Love.TheUmbrellaAcademy
