Netflix Sets Up First-Look Deal With Comic Book Publisher BOOM! Studios For Live Action & Animated Projects
Netflix has will be working with another comic book publisher, as the streaming services announces a first-look deal for live-action and animated series with BOOM! Studios, the publisher behind best-selling Eisner Award-winning and fan-beloved comic book franchises, including Lumberjanes, Something is Killing the Children, Once & Future, and Mouse Guard.
This seems to be a natural progression for Netflix and BOOM!, who have always been close collaborators. Their previous projects have worked both ways, with Netflix developing films and shows based on BOOM! comic books, whilst BOOM! developed comic books based on the streaming service’s tv shows. These include Netflix partnering on the upcoming feature film ‘The Unsound’ directed by David F. Sandberg (‘Shazam!’), based on the graphic novel by Cullen Bunn and Jack T. Cole, whilst BOOM! debuted a graphic novel series in 2019 tied into Jim Henson’s ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’, which aired on Netflix.
“We generate 20+ new original series a year and are thrilled to partner with a company that is as prolific as we are,” BOOM! CEO and Founder Ross Richie commented. “BOOM!’s unique partnership model of controlling the media rights to our library benefits creators by positioning them to be packaged with high-end directors, screenwriters, and producers. We’re thrilled to continue our track record of translating our best-selling award-winning library with the best TV talent in the business but now with the undisputed leader of the new streaming era.”
2019 saw BOOM!’s biggest publishing year ever as new original series grew 63% boosted by hits like Diamond Gem Awards “Comic Book of the Year” and “Best New Comic Series” winner ‘Once & Future’ and ‘Something Is Killing the Children’ from Diamond Gem, GLAAD Media, and Prism Award-winner author James Tynion IV. For 9 of the past 11 years BOOM! has won “Best Publisher (under 3%)” in the prestigious Diamond Gem Awards.
Although BOOM! has signed this new Netflix deal, they also have a feature film first look deal which remains at 20th Century Studios/The Walt Disney Company through January 2021, which will see the studio will release BOOM!’s supernatural thriller ‘The Empty Man’ in August. Moving beyond 20th Century Studios, BOOM! set up a busy slate across Hollywood, and have close to 20 movies and TV shows in development with Amazon, HBO Max, Peacock, CBS All Access, Disney+, and Netflix. This includes the feature film ‘Memetic’ with Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg producing and ‘The Batman’ screenwriter Mattson Tomlin at Lionsgate.
“BOOM! characters are innately special, they’re colourful, diverse and varied and their stories have the power to ignite something in all of us,” adds Brian Wright, Vice President, Original Series at Netflix. “We can’t wait to bring these stories from the page to the screen to fans in every corner of the world.”
