It looks like another gritty comic book adaptation is destined for the small screen, with streaming giant Amazon having now picked up the small screen adaptation of Garth Ennis' The Boys.
Aiming to "out Preacher" Preacher, Ennis and Transmetropolitan's Darick Robertson ran The Boys comic for an impressive 72 issues from 2006-2012. Focussing on a world where superheroes exist, "The Boys" were a covert group of CIA superheroes who were tasked with keeping the other heroes in check. With some corrupted by their own ego and celebrity status, it is up to the small group of dysfunctional lads to battle the power and perils of spandex supes.
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Originally destined for Cinemax, Variety reports that Amazon has taken over the rights and ordered the one-hour pilot for The Boys from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. To add to the talent, Supernatural writer Eric Kripke is writing the pilot, while The Boys is expected to go straight to a full-series order.
Roughly set in the mid-noughties, The Boys balanced the perfect blend of anti-heroes and villains that modern TV viewers have come to expect - but will the show find another Walter White for everyone to love? With its uncompromising violence and sexual nature, The Boys is one of the most violent additions to the genre and ranks up there with the likes of Transmetropolitan and The Authority. Rogen and Goldberg's involvement was announced back in 2016, so it is great to see that there is finally some movement on the show.
A big screen adaptation of The Boys has tentatively been in the works since 2008, and it was Anchorman's Adam McKay who was first attached to direct. All has been quiet on the movie front since The Boys moved from Columbia to Paramount in 2013, but writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are still technically attached to the project alongside McKay. Moving forward with the TV adaptation, it seems increasingly unlikely that The Boys will be hitting theaters anywhere in the near future.
Thankfully, Rogen and Goldberg and no strangers to Ennis' work, and also helped bring Preacher to the small screen in 2016. The duo also directed the first two episodes of Preacher seasons 1 and 2, with a third season expected to follow. Given the announcement that Amazon plans on shifting its focus to more shows with global appeal, hopping on the superhero bandwagon with The Boys is certainly one way to do it. However, only time will tell is the red ink of Ennis' pages can transpire just as well to the online streaming service.
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Source: Variety