Comic book properties are currently very popular with streaming platforms, and looking for new IP to adapt, Netflix acquired the works of Mark Millar. One of the first projects from his catalog was that of Jupiter’s Legacy, which is currently available to watch in its entirety. It appears that the show will only receive one season for the time being.
While the incredible $200 million budget might be a huge factor in Netflix choosing to pass on a second season, the entertainment brand does have its eye on a spin-off show. With Super Crooks now in development, there’s a lot of questions about the fate of Jupiter’s Legacy as well as the plan moving forward in regards to a new set of anthologies from MillarWorld.
MillarWorld
It was announced in 2017 that Netflix had penned the trademark deal to acquire the rights to Mark Millar’s MillarWorld properties. Amongst his work is a diverse range of comic books which have not only performed well commercially but have received great critical acclaim.
Fans will no doubt have projects in mind which they can’t wait to see adapted, but the first show that Netflix moved ahead with was Jupiter’s Legacy. Asides from pre-existing graphic novels, Netflix has also committed to publishing all of Millar’s latest work, to eventually adapt them to screen.
Jupiter’s Legacy Ratings
With a talented cast and crew attached it seemed like this would be a surefire hit for the streaming platform. However, critically the series underperformed, with Rotten Tomatoes deeming the superhero drama as Rotten, at 38%. It did achieve an impressive 72% audience score though.
The ratings perhaps weren’t as impressive as Netflix would have hoped for either. While its audience grew between week 1 and week 2 at a 46% increase, other newer franchises such as Shadow And Bone outperformed predictions with an increase of 65%! The first week of the Millar series did see a total of 1.02 billion minutes consumed by viewers.
Releasing The Cast
In June of 2021, it was announced by Netflix that the cast of Jupiter’s Legacy had actually been released. The press release never used the word canceled anywhere in their coverage, which does suggest that there’s hope for the franchise in the future. But what does a released cast actually mean?
Usually, when a cast is released it means they are no longer guaranteed work on a series, with their current contracts being brought to an end. It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean they will be not be brought back onto projects in the Millarverse in the future, which will require new contractual agreements.
Could Revisit In The Future
While reboots or revisits to popular franchises like Kick-Ass haven’t currently come up at Netflix according to Mark Millar, that doesn’t mean the studio won’t want to go back to past projects in the future. This may be an important component in building up a shared superhero universe.
For Jupiter’s Legacy, the press release made it very clear that the characters from the show may appear elsewhere on Netflix. Indeed, Millar himself noted that he was very confident that they would return to this story in the future, perhaps to tie up any loose ends.
Behind The Scenes Struggles
There have been numerous reports that asides from the budget, a major factor for the show’s semi-cancelation was due to multiple struggles behind the scenes. It’s said that the project was difficult to get off of the ground from the start, with plenty of creative challenges to face.
Some of these disagreements boiled to the surface with the original showrunner Steven S. DeKnight having to step down from the role. Of course, DeKnight had previous experience at Netflix working on the acclaimed Daredevil; suggesting that Jupiter’s Legacy was a tougher story to crack.
Creating A Shared Universe
There appear to have always been a plan to create a shared universe utilizing the MillarWorld properties. Mark Millar has previously noted that his comics are linked together, all in the same comic book world. When another adaptation of Super Crooks was announced in the past Millar said this would tie into the live-action Jupiter’s Legacy.
Now with a new Super Crooks live-action project in the works, Netflix has been pitching it as a return to the very same setting, with a new bunch of characters. It seems despite some initial faltering the company is moving ahead with its own version of the DCEU or MCU.
Adapting Super Crooks
As previously noted, Netflix is working on a live-action Super Crooks series, which currently seems like the next project on their development calendar. While there are other shows and films in production for MillarWorld, which will be discussed further later, this is the first one in the Jupiter’s Legacy anthology.
There are no further details on the project thanks to the secrecy surrounding Super Crooks. With no cast, creative team, or release date set in place, the only things that can be confirmed are Mark Millar’s continued involvement, Netflix as a distribution platform, and the potential for lessons learned in the franchise’s first outing.
Premise Of The New Show
Although production details on Super Crooks may be sparse, the narrative details are very easy to identify. The live-action show will be based around the pre-existing comic arc, created by Mark Millar alongside his collaborator and artist Leinil Francis Yu.
The premise of the comic and therefore the show sees mastermind Johnny Bolt recruit a crew with the aim of carrying out one last heist. It’s a simple idea but one that can take advantage of the hive of scum and villainy present in this new comic book landscape.
Another Anime Series
Animated and anime shows are currently proving to be some of the best formats for accurate comic book adaptations and the MillarWorld universe will also be stepping into this format. It was announced previously that Super Crooks would also get an anime adaptation.
With the show so far along its production timeline that it is being advertised on Netflix, it’s questionable whether it will still tie into Jupiter’s Legacy, as Millar had previously reported. It’s marked down for a 2021 release date so a trailer for the show should be inbound.
Other Series In Development
There’s a whole host of other series and films currently in the pipeline at Netflix which may tie into this cinematic landscape in some way. American Jesus, Reborn, Huck, and The Magic Order are some of the shows and films lined up for the streaming platform.
Interestingly the latter was actually the first comic book published by Netflix alongside Millar, with production stopping and starting repeatedly. There are other intriguing projects in the queue to be produced without newer updates such as Space Bandits, alongside Millar’s ambition to produce a new spy franchise.
