‘Umbrella Academy’ Comic Books Getting Netflix Show | Variety

Netflix is bringing another superhero story to life.

The streaming giant has greenlit a series based on “The Umbrella Academy” comic books, Universal Cable Productions announced on Tuesday.

Universal Cable Prods. is producing the series along with Dark Horse Entertainment and Bluegrass Television for Netflix, which has ordered 10 episodes for the first season. The show will premiere in 2018.

Based on the comics and graphic novels of the same name, “Umbrella Academy” is a live-action series that follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes, known as The Umbrella Academy — 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.

The comics were created and written by Gerard Way, illustrated by Gabriel Bá and published by Dark Horse Comics. Way will serve as a co-executive producer on the series, which will be adapted for television by writer Jeremy Slater who penned the pilot. Steve Blackman will serve as show runner and executive producer with Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg.

“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,” Way said in a statement.

“What drew us to ‘The Umbrella Academy’ is that it’s wholly unique, visual, and stylized,” said Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content. “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.”

“It’s a thrill to be producing this wonderful show for Netflix. It’s been a passion project for the UCP development crew and we can’t wait to bring it to life,” added Jeff Wachtel, chief content officer of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and president of UCP.

For Netflix, “Umbrella Academy” marks the latest series in the comic book genre, following a slew of Marvel series, including “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist,” “Luke Cafe,” “The Defenders,” and “The Punisher.”

Source: ‘Umbrella Academy’ Comic Books Getting Netflix Show | Variety