Netflix purchases comic book publisher Millarworld in first-ever acquisition
On Monday, Netflix made its first-ever acquisition, snapping up comic book publisher Millarworld. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Netflix apparently plans to use Millarworld's 18 separate character worlds, to create films, TV shows, and children's series.
Millarworld's comic narratives have already been used in three successful movie franchises — Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Kingsman — that together have grossed close to $1 billion in box office revenue worldwide. The second Kingsman movie, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, will be released in the U.S. on Sept. 22.
Before creating Millarworld with his wife Lucy, Mark Millar spent eight years at Marvel, reworking the Avengers universe and laying the comic groundwork for Marvel's recent blockbuster, Logan. Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos described Millar as a "modern day Stan Lee" in a statement Monday, referring to the former Marvel titan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Millarworld is the third major comic book publisher to be bought by a larger media company: Warner Bros acquired DC Comics in 1968 and Disney purchased Marvel in 2009. By acquiring Millarworld, Netflix has taken a major step forward in the development of its own intellectual property, which will help the company compete with the likes of Amazon and Hulu.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Elianna Spitzer is a rising junior at Brandeis University, majoring in Politics and American Studies. She is also a news editor and writer at The Brandeis Hoot. When she is not covering campus news, Elianna can be found arguing legal cases with her mock trial team.q
-
Who are undecided voters, anyway?
Talking Points They might decide the presidential election
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%
Speed Read The decline occurred between 1970 and 2020
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona kicks off swing-state early voting
Speed Read The voting began with less than a month to go before the presidential election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strike
Speed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published