Simon Pegg has joined Amazon’s The Boys series as Hughie’s father. The comic book series for which the show is based on was created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson in 2006, telling the tale of a group of vigilante heroes set in a world where corrupted super powered individuals reign supreme. Amazon is set to bring a live-action adaptation of The Boys comic book to life from the minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, after seeing their success in adapting Ennis’ other beloved comic Preacher for AMC.
The Boys started production earlier this year with Eric Kripke serving as the showrunner and Dan Trachtenberg directing the first episode. They assembled a great cast led by Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, who is the leader of the vigilante squad. However, the main character in the comic books is “Wee” Hughie Campbell. Jack Quaid is playing him in the series, but Ennis and Robertson originally created the character’s look based on Simon Pegg. Since Pegg couldn’t play Hughie, he found another part in the series.
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During The Boys‘ panel at New York Comic Con, they surprised those in attendance by bringing Simon Pegg onto the stage unannounced. As the inspiration for Hughie, it was a cool moment for fans of the series alone, but the announcement that followed was even better. They confirmed that he has been cast in the series and will play Hughie’s father in The Boys. The show’s official Twitter account then shared the news publicly with a nice image of Quaid and Pegg together, while responding to all the incoming thanks from fans by saying “You’re welcome.”
Since Pegg was the inspiration for Hughie, this is the perfect role for him to play in The Boys. Pegg’s already been connected to the comic book series before by writing a foreword in a collectors set of the first six issues of the series. He’s previously and correctly pointed out that he simply couldn’t play Hughie in the show even if he wanted to due to the age difference, so getting him to be his father is the next best option. Screen Rant was at the panel where Pegg offered up a tease of how Mr. Dougie Campbell is: “His father is a spectre of his own inaction.” Kripke added, “[He’s] Hughie, if Hughie never met Butcher.”
With Pegg now among the cast members for The Boys, he is the latest star to join. The entire main cast was previously announced together, while the addition of Karen Fukuhara as The Female came later. There is still no official release date for the series, but with the presence at New York Comic Con, more information could come before the convention ends.
MORE: The Boys TV Show First Image Recreates Comic Cover
The Boys is expected to premiere on Amazon in early 2019.
