The ‘Preacher’ Team Is Bringing ‘The Boys’ To Cinemax
The Boysis a big middle finger to superheroes and all they stand far. It’s a gruesome, immature, often very good, and often cringe-worthy comic series that finds writerGarth Ennisindulging his worst habits while also finding opportunities to remind us that there’s a rockstar of a storyteller underneath all of the gore and dick jokes. It’s almost become a movie on several occasions. Last year, we heard thatThe Boyswas heading to television instead. Now, it looks like it’s going to be a series onCinemax, shepherded to the screen by many of the same folks who are bringingPreacher(another Ennis comic) to AMC.Deadlinereports thatSeth Rogen,Evan Goldberg, andNeal Mortizwill produce the series alongsidePavun Shetty,Ori Marmur,James Weaver,Ken Levin, andJason Netter. Rogen and Goldberg, who directed thePreacherpilot for AMC as well as films likeThis is the EndandThe Interview, will helm the pilot. Most promising of all is the news thatEric Kripke, the creator ofSupernatural, will pen the pilot script (he is also on the laundry list of producers). The project is still early in development, so beyond this big group of names, there’s nothing especially huge to report.
But this is very interesting news, indeed. Cinemax has become an increasingly promising destination for off-kilter shows likeBansheeandThe Knick, so I’m very curious to see how they handle a deliberately offensive and grotesque series likeThe Boys. At the very least, a network like Cinemax will allow Kripke, Rogen, Goldberg and the rest of the crew to utilize the comic’s nastiest elements. Seriously, have you seen what they get away with onThe Knick?
The Boyswas created by Garth Ennis and artistDarick Robertsonin 2006 and it ran for 72 issues, concluding in 2012. The series follows a team of super-powered CIA agents who secretly police the world of superheroes, who are portrayed as menaces, drug addicts, sexual deviants, and power-hungry maniacs. When “heroes” step out of line, the Boys take care of the problem with extreme prejudice. It’s one helluva hook and the series is often gripping and dramatic and effective…when Ennis isn’t resorting to the lowest common denominator, which is far too often.
The comic was controversial from the start, getting cancelled after its first story arc at Wildstorm before finding a new home at Dynamite. It’s easy to see why a comic book publisher would be wary ofThe Boys– it hates superheroes with a fiery passion and tears them down at every possible moment. It’s a comic book that has no love for its industry’s bread and butter.
AnchormanandThe Big Shortdirector Adam McKaytried to get a film version ofThe Boysmade for years, only to findthat the material was too extreme for every studio in town:
IfThe Boysmakes it to series, it’ll probably need to follow the path ofPreacherand change certain elements just so it will be palatable on the screen. Some changes are necessary because the comic really is that twisted. Some changes are necessary because the comic is really full of that many eye-rolling moments. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens next.
