Netflix has just taken a huge step in growing as a studio today by acquiring Mark Millar’s Millarworld. That means the streaming network now has the rightst to make TV and movie based off of all not already owned Mark Millar comic creations. So while they won’t have access to Kingsman and Marvel’s Old Man Logan story, they can now make new original content based off of Kick-Ass, Superior, Nemesis, Starlight, and tons of other great material.
Here’s the official press release:
Netflix Acquires Millarworld
Comics Legend Mark Millar Joins Forces With the Leading Global
Internet Entertainment Platform to Blow Minds Everywhere.
Hollywood Ca. August 7, 2017-Netflix Inc. announced today it acquired Millarworld, the
comic book publishing powerhouse founded by Mark Millar, the legendary creator of
such iconic characters and stories as Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Old Man Logan, and
one of the most important voices in comics.
Together, Netflix and Millar will bring Millarworld’s portfolio of critically and
fan-acclaimed character franchises to life through films, series and kids’ shows available
exclusively to Netflix members globally. Millarworld will also continue to create and
publish new stories and character franchises under the Netflix label.
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. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.
“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,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. “We can’t wait to harness
the creative power of Millarworld to Netflix and start a new era in global storytelling.”
“This is only the third time in history a major comic book company has been purchased
at this level,” said Millar. “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.”
Millar, who runs Millarworld with his wife Lucy Millar, is one of the most consistent
hitmakers in the graphic novel and comics world. In his eight years at Marvel, he
developed the comic books and story arcs that inspired the first Avengers movie,
Captain America: Civil War, and Logan (Wolverine), which collectively grossed over $3
billion in worldwide box office. 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,” added Sarandos. “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.”
About Netflix
Netflix is the world’s leading Internet entertainment platform with 104 million members in
over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per
day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as
much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any internet-connected screen.
Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or
commitments.
About Mark Millar and Millarworld
Millarworld is an entertainment company run by Mark and Lucy Millar where the
company and each of the superstar artists it partnered with owned all of the comic-book
characters they created. These projects have achieved huge success as global
franchises ranging across publishing, cinema, clothing, video-games and toys over the
past fourteen years. In his years at Marvel, Mark wrote some of the biggest-selling
books of this generation, massively influencing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His
book, The Ultimates, was named by Time Magazine as Comic Book Of The Decade
and his Superman opus, Red Son, remains the best-selling Superman graphic novel of
all time.