We’ve known that Mark Millar wanted to make some films based on his Millarworld imprint but now Netflix has purchased the company and it really seems like the perfect fit. The studio has already proven with Marvel’s properties that they can take a comic and make it work and I can only imagine that they’ll be doing the same with Millarworld so it seems like this is a solid choice for their first acquisition.
Without the constraints of Marvel Studios being in place, there is no reason that they couldn’t tackle a truly interconnected televised experience! That depends of course if the rights to ‘Wanted’ as both ‘Kick-Ass’ and ‘Kingsman’ have their own separate Hollywood deals which kept the rights from not being part of Netflix at this time. If either of the studios ends up passing on them though my money would be on Netflix not selling them to someone else and bringing them both under their banner.
According to Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos:
“As creator and re-inventor of some of the most memorable stories and characters in recent history, ranging from Marvel’s The Avengers to Millarworld’s Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Wanted and Reborn franchises, Mark is as close as you can get to a modern day Stan Lee. We can’t wait to harness the creative power of Millarworld to Netflix and start a new era in global storytelling.”
Sure, Netflix might be $20 billion in debt at the moment, but this seems like a gamble which could work perfectly for the company! The terms of the purchase weren’t included at this time so until next year’s financials are revealed it seems unlike we’ll learn what kind of a deal was negotiated. Millar’s work at Marvel ended up seeing cinematic treatments in the form of ‘Avengers,’ ‘Captain America: Civil War’, and ‘Logan’ so it would be no surprise seeing Netflix interested in his work. Particularly since the film’s that have been done based off of Millarworld properties so far have brought in close to a billion at the box office.
According to Millar:
“This is only the third time in history a major comic book company has been purchased at this level. I’m so in love with what Netflix is doing and excited by their plans. Netflix is the future and Millarworld couldn’t have a better home.”
While I don’t think we’ll see any major directional shifts in the future of Millarworld’s comics due to this buyout, it will be interesting to see what televised announcements start being made over the next year. On Millarworld, Millar stated that:
“Warner Bros bought DC Comics in 1968. Disney bought Marvel in 2009. Today Netflix purchased Millarworld, and I’m still blinking. This is only the third time in history a comic-book company purchase on this scale has ever happened.
I started Millarworld as a creator-owned comic-book company nearly 15 years ago, after talking some artist pals into being their own bosses. We’d all had success at DC and Marvel, but this was a chance to control the characters created and reap the rewards from any future movies, TV or merchandise that ever came from those characters and books. Over the years, Millarworld has amassed twenty different franchises working with the world’s greatest artists, and now Millarworld has been bought by the hottest, most exciting entertainment company on the planet. To say this is the best thing that ever happened in our professional lives would be an understatement.
I’d like to take this moment to thank all the artists who were caught up in my enthusiasm over the years and who co-created these properties with Millarworld. Artists are often left out of news-stories, but trust me when I say that the only reason these books have looked so beautiful is because Millarworld worked with the greatest draughtsmen of their generation. I’d like to thank Frank Quitely, Stuart Immonen, Goran Parlov, Leinil Francis Yu, Rafael Albuquerque, Steve McNiven, Greg Capullo, Sean Murphy, JG Jones, Duncan Fegredo, Tony Harris, Dave Gibbons and John Romita Jr for their belief in my crazy plan and their friendship during even the tightest of deadlines.”
He’s clearly excited, and I’m sure it isn’t just from the influx of money that he’ll be seeing from this. Millar has always been highly enthusiastic about anything that Millarworld puts on and even more so when cinematic takes have been made.
Which of the Millarworld properties do you think Netflix will first end up adapting for the small screen? Will the studio also create tie-in films much as Marvel Studios initially tried to do when “everything is connected” was the way of life? Share your thoughts below!
