It’s hard not to trust Netflix’s gut these days, given the streaming giant’s string of hit series including House of Cards, Stranger Things and Jessica Jones.
Speaking of the latter, a number of Marvel universe–related shows, including Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist have put the service on the radar of fanboys and -girls the world over. So it comes as no surprise that the company’s first major acquisition would be comic book–related.
According to Variety, Netflix has purchased Millarworld, a comic book publishing house founded by Scotsman Mark Millar, best known for developing the characters featured in 2010’s superhero movie Kick-Ass, which launched the career of Chloë Grace Moretz and helped liven up Nicholas Cage’s. (Kick-Ass got a sequel in 2013; and two other Millarworld titles, Kingsman and Wanted, have been turned into theatricals.)
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said of the deal, whose financials were undisclosed: “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.”
Millar wrote about the deal at length on his company’s blog, noting that the acquisition marks just the third time in history a comic book publisher had been acquired by a major production house.
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