Originally published July 12, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
Netflix has acquired yet another series; the streaming service will adapt Gerard Way’s comic title The Umbrella Academy for a 10-episode run to premiere in 2018.
The Umbrella Academy follows a dysfunctional family of superheroes that come together in order to solve their father’s possible murder. Fargo’s Steve Blackman will executive producer and showrun the series while The Exorcist’s Jeremy Slater has written the pilot. Series creator Gerard Way will also serve as a co-executive producer.
“I am thrilled that The Umbrella Academy has found a home at Netflix,” creator Gerard Way said. “I couldn’t think of a better place for the vision Gabriel Ba and myself had when creating the comic, and cannot wait for people to experience that world as a live action show.”
“What drew us to The Umbrella Academy is that it’s wholly unique, visual and stylized,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Originals at Netflix. “These aren’t the usual superheroes, and this series will embrace the singular tone of the graphic novels — dark yet humorous, supernatural yet grounded in reality. We’re excited to see this world and introduce these unforgettable heroes to Netflix members around the globe.”
“It’s a thrill to be producing this wonderful show for Netflix,” said Jeff Wachtel, Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, and President, Universal Cable Productions. “It’s been a passion project for the UCP development crew and we can’t wait to bring it to life.”
Based on the popular, Eisner award-winning comics and graphic novels the series follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes (The Umbrella Academy) — The Monocle, Spaceboy, The Kraken, The Rumor, The Séance, Number Five, The Horror, and The White Violin — as they work together to solve their father’s mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities.
