Netflix keeps its streak of developing lesser known comic book superhero properties with the series Irredeemable.
Given how successful the superhero genre on virtually any medium, it’s no surprise Netflix wants to build up its library with more of it. While the Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment have the lion’s share of familiar world-renowned superhero characters and IPs, there is a wealth of independent material out there waiting to be mined.
Dark Horse, Image, Antarctic Press, Dynamite, and many other comic book publishers have superhero material out there. Amazon’s adaptations of The Boys and Invincible are proof they can be just as lucrative as anything from the Big Two (Marvel and DC).
What will BOOM! Studios’ Irredeemable be about? What do we know so far about the Netflix production? Check out the details below:
Netflix deal and production
Announced by Netflix this past week, the Irredeemable live action film will be directed by BAFTA award winner Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall). The script will be penned by Oscar-nominated Kemp Powers (Soul). Interestingly, one of the producers will be Shawn Carter, more popularly known as Jay-Z.
We're thrilled to announce IRREDEEMABLE & INCORRUPTIBLE will be adapted into a @netflix film! Jeymes Samuel (@TheBullitts) is set to direct & Kemp Powers (@Powerkeni) will write.
Learn more: https://t.co/iVlSOR9uKF pic.twitter.com/vpo4aYClqm
— BOOM! Studios (@boomstudios) March 17, 2022
Irredeemable was written by comic book legend Mark Waid. Waid is famous for impressive comic book runs for both DC Comics and Marvel, such as The Flash, Justice League, Superman, Captain America, Avengers, Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and more. Irredeemable is one of his creator-owned works which was illustrated by Peter Krause.
In an interview with Deadline, Waid had this to say about the upcoming adaptation of his bestselling comic book series:
Peter and I are thrilled to death that a writer and a director we both admire are bringing Irredeemable to life in a faithful and respectful way while inventing their own twists and turns. Their unique take on the comic makes it unlike any anti-hero story I’ve ever heard, and I love it.
Netflix Sets Feature Take Of ‘Irredeemable’ & ‘Incorruptible’ Graphic Novel Series With Jeymes Samuel Directing, Kemp Powers Writing, Jay-Z & James Lassiter Producing https://t.co/M2zZEH6rkT
— Michael Fleming (@DeadlineMike) March 17, 2022
This will be the first time Jeymes Samuel will take on a superhero property. However, he is no stranger to genre filming with tropes of good vs. evil, as shown in The Harder They Fall. An alternative and stylistic approach to the cowboy genre in the same vein of the Red Dead Redemption games, Samuel expressed his unique take on familiar character tropes from westerns:
I wanted to tell a story and to have these characters portrayed in a movie where they’re not subservient. They’re not less than human. They’re not less than anything.
Irredeemable will also be executive produced by Kemp Powers and Adam Yoelin, overseen by Mette Norkjaer for BOOM! Studios.
What is Irredeemable?
Irredeemable is a non-traditional superhero tale, exploring the rise and fall of Earth’s champion. Here is the synopsis of the Irredeemable storyline:
When the world’s most powerful and beloved superhero, the god-like Plutonian, inexplicably begins slaughtering everyone on Earth, the only person that can stop him is his former arch-nemesis, the super-powered villain Max Damage. Unwillingly thrust into the role of savior, Max must uncover the Plutonian’s mysterious past in order to discover how to bring him down. But can he discover what made the Plutonian go crazy before his own degenerative super powers cause him to lose his mind?
The Plutonian is very much a Superman analogue, with a similar power set and the concept of being a paragon of virtue. But the story inevitably turns dark, as the Plutonian becomes more like The Boys’ Homelander, Invincible’s Omni-Man, or the Injustice version of the Man of Steel.
The comic book series had a follow-up titled Incorruptible also written by Mark Waid. This sequel followed the journey of Max Damage fully becoming a superhero. Should the Netflix Irredeemable project prove to be successful, this sequel series will likely be the continuation of it.
More Netflix supers
Irredeemable joins the ranks of superhero properties that Netflix have brought attention to a new audience. The streaming giant had previously been the home of Marvel shows such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Defenders.
But aside from the MCU, Netflix also showcased content that are not from the Marvel or DC Comics such as The Umbrella Academy (now on its third season), Warrior Nun, Project Power, Jupiter’s Legacy, and most recently Adi Shankar’s Guardians of Justice. Aside from Irredeemable, other superhero properties that are currently in development for Netflix are Matt Wagner’s Grendel and Keanu Reeves‘s BRZRKR. With the proven market and profitability of the superhero genre, we can expect even more of these movies and series in the future.
Irredeemable will be produced by Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, James Lassiter, Jeymes Samuel and Stephen Christy & Ross Richie for BOOM! Studios. Release date on the Netflix streaming platform will be announced in the future.
You can catch the work of director Jeymes Samuel in the western action drama The Harder They Fall, available on Netflix right now.
