Could a ‘Kick-Ass’ series be coming to Netflix? That could become a reality after Monday’s news.
Netflix announced Monday morning the streaming service acquired Millarworld, the comic book publishing company founded by Mark Millar. The writer has become a household name and a big wig in the comic book industry because of Civil War, Old Man Logan, Kick-Ass, Wanted, and Kingsman.
“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,” said Millar.
In the press release, Netflix stated it will bring Millarworld’s portfolio of character franchises to life through films, series, and kids’ shows. Millarworld will also continue to create and publish new stories and character franchises under the Netflix label.
This is the first time Netflix has bought a creative company and this marks its first venture outside of streaming.
The acquisition, the first ever by Netflix, is a natural progression in the company’s effort to work directly with prolific and skilled creators and to acquire intellectual property and ownership of stories featuring compelling characters and timeless, interwoven fictional worlds.
“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,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.
Since Millarworld was started, the company and its co-creators have given birth to eighteen published character worlds, of which three, Wanted, Kick-Ass and Kingsman, have yielded theatrical films that together have grossed nearly $1 billion in global box office.
“Mark has created a next-generation comics universe, full of indelible characters living in situations people around the world can identify easily with. We look forward to creating new Netflix Originals from several existing franchises as well as new super-hero, anti-hero, fantasy, sci-fi and horror stories Mark and his team will continue to create and publish,” added Sarandos.
Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.
