Netflix Producing Mark Millar Movies & TV Shows, Including 'Empress', 'American Jesus', And More
Netflix purchased comic book writer Mark Millar's Millarworld company last year, and they've already teamed up to release the streaming service's first comic book, The Magic Order. But Netflix didn't buy Millar's company solely to make comic books: they're in it for that sweet, sweet intellectual property.
The first batch of Millarworld movies and TV shows was announced this morning, and they include movie adaptations of Empress, Huck, and Sharkey the Bounty Hunter and TV series based on American Jesus and Jupiter's Legacy. Read more about each of these new Mark Millar Netflix projects below.
There's no timetable in place for any of these properties and no actors attached to star yet, but we expect to see them come together pretty quickly. Let's go through these one by one, starting with the movies.
Empress
Queen Emporia is married to (literally) the worst dictator in the galaxy, King Morax. After escaping his palace with her children, Emporia and her family, must hide from Morax and his army at all costs — even if it takes teleporting from planet to planet to avoid them.
We heard this comic was getting the movie treatment back in 2016, and now it's finally moving forward. Hot up-and-coming writer Lindsey Beer (Kingkiller Chronicle, Godzilla vs. Kong, Silver & Black) is writing the script, and Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, Maleficent) are producing. There was some confusion about who may star in this film a few years ago, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this get revamped entirely in this iteration.
Huck
In a quiet seaside town, Huck uses his special gifts to do a good deed each day. His neighbors return the favors by keeping his abilities a secret. But when a newcomer alerts the media, a firestorm erupts, sending Huck on an adventure that will change everything.
This is the first we're hearing about a Huck movie, which will tone down the over-the-top violence for which Millar is typically known and instead concentrates on creating heartwarming moments. This could be a nice change of pace, and it sounds like they have the right guy on board to write it: Ted Melfi (Hidden Figures, St. Vincent) is tackling the screenplay. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe are lined up to produce.
Sharkey The Bounty Hunter
Set in a brilliant new sci-fi universe, Sharkey is a blue-collar bounty-hunter tracking criminals across the galaxy in his converted, rocket-powered ice-cream truck. Aided and abetted by his ten-year-old partner, he's out for the biggest bounty of his career.
This one sounds like an enjoyable, old-fashioned space romp. There's no art available for Sharkey the Bounty Hunter yet because it has yet to actually be published as a comic. Netflix/Millarworld will take care of that next year. In the meantime, writer Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street) is writing the movie's screenplay.
On to the TV shows...
Jupiter's Legacy
A multi-generational American superhero epic, Jupiter's Legacy follows the world's first generation of superheroes who received their powers in the 1930's. In present day they are the revered elder guard, but their superpowered children struggle to live up to the legendary feats of their parents.
This was being developed as a movie long before Netflix acquired Millarworld. It was initially going to be written by Brian and Mark Gunn (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), but they're no longer involved with the project, and the movie idea has evolved into a TV series adaptation. Steven S. DeKnight (Marvel's Daredevil, Pacific Rim Uprising) will serve as showrunner and direct the first episode, and Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott are on board as executive producers.
American Jesus
Multilingual (Spanish/English) series American Jesus follows a twelve-year-old boy who suddenly discovers he's returned as Jesus Christ. He can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk, and, perhaps, even raise the dead! How will he deal with the destiny to lead the world in a conflict thousands of years in the making?
A movie version of American Jesus has been in the works since 2009 but never came to pass. Now a TV version is coming to Netflix, with Everardo Gout (Marvel's Luke Cage, Banshee) and Leopoldo Gout (Molly's Game) serving as co-showrunners. Everardo will direct at least one episode, and possibly the entire series.
Ever the hype man, Millar commented in the press release:
"My wife Lucy and I are eleven months into our jobs at Netflix and it's everything we hoped for to the power of ten. To see a movie based on your work every couple of years is incredibly exciting, but to see them all happening at once like this and with talent this high-end is just off the scale. These are writers and directors I've privately been sending fan-mail to over the last eighteen months so to be working with them all is just enormously exciting. This really is the greatest creative environment I've ever worked in. I can't wait to switch on my computer every morning."