The Boys

[alive she cried]

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The ‘Preacher’ Team Is Bringing ‘The Boys’ to Cinemax

 

Posted on Thursday, April 7th, 2016 by Jacob Hall

 

 

The Boys is a big middle finger to superheroes and all they stand far. It’s a gruesome, immature, often very good, and often cringe-worthy comic series that finds writer Garth Ennis indulging his worst habits while also finding opportunities to remind us that there’s a rockstar of a storyteller underneath all of the gore and dick jokes. It’s almost become a movie on several occasions. Last year, we heard that The Boys was heading to television instead. Now, it looks like it’s going to be a series on Cinemax, shepherded to the screen by many of the same folks who are bringing Preacher (another Ennis comic) to AMC.

 

Deadline reports that Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Neal Mortiz will produce the series alongside Pavun Shetty,Ori Marmur, James Weaver, Ken Levin, and Jason Netter. Rogen and Goldberg, who directed the Preacher pilot for AMC as well as films like This is the End and The Interview, will helm the pilot. Most promising of all is the news that Eric Kripke, the creator of Supernatural, will pen the pilot script (he is also on the laundry list of producers). The project is still early in development, so beyond this big group of names, there’s nothing especially huge to report.

But this is very interesting news, indeed. Cinemax has become an increasingly promising destination for off-kilter shows like Banshee and The Knick, so I’m very curious to see how they handle a deliberately offensive and grotesque series likeThe Boys. At the very least, a network like Cinemax will allow Kripke, Rogen, Goldberg and the rest of the crew to utilize the comic’s nastiest elements. Seriously, have you seen what they get away with on The Knick?

 

The Boys was created by Garth Ennis and artist Darrick Robertson in 2006 and it ran for 72 issues, concluding in 2012. The series follows a team of super-powered CIA agents who secretly police the world of superheroes, who are portrayed as menaces, drug addicts, sexual deviants, and power-hungry maniacs. When “heroes” step out of line, the Boys take care of the problem with extreme prejudice. It’s one helluva hook and the series is often gripping and dramatic and effective…when Ennis isn’t resorting to the lowest common denominator, which is far too often.

The comic was controversial from the start, getting cancelled after its first story arc at Wildstorm before finding a new home at Dynamite. It’s easy to see why a comic book publisher would be wary of The Boys – it hates superheroes with a fiery passion and tears them down at every possible moment. It’s a comic book that has no love for its industry’s bread and butter.

Anchorman and The Big Short director Adam McKay tried to get a film version of The Boys made for years, only to find that the material was too extreme for every studio in town:

 

I was trying to do Garth Ennis’ The Boys at one point, and I took it to every studio, every production financing place in town. And they were always like, ‘No.’ I had this crazy pre-viz reel that I’d done, and it was insane, like superheroes doing cocaine. And they all said, lazily, ‘So it’s like Watchmen?’ And then eventually I started realizing that no one was going to do it, and I started pitching the craziest aspects of it, embracing the fact that they hated it.

 

If The Boys makes it to series, it’ll probably need to follow the path of Preacher and change certain elements just so it will be palatable on the screen. Some changes are necessary because the comic really is that twisted. Some changes are necessary because the comic is really full of that many eye-rolling moments. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens next.

Edited April 8, 2016 by alive she cried

[The NZA]

...shouldn't we wait & see how preacher pans out before greenlighting more stuff from this team, especially lesser books?

 

then again, if they do crash & burn, i'd rather they not take monaghan down with em

[Iambaytor]

I'm really hoping a Hitman series somehow materializes. I have no idea what shape it would take and I don't really care, I just want it to exist.

 

(Also I want a Tommy Monaghan action figure to sit on my desk in-between Jonah Hex and Death's Head)

[The NZA]

DCAU or bust...i just can't see it as a show, for 2 main reasons:

 

1) we've talked about this, but the way the book can bounce from scenes like "i wish you'dve sang like a fuckin' canary" at the bathtub to say clubbing zombie sea lions is super unique, and i don't know how many showrunners i trust to capture that.

 

2) you might disagree, but i think removing him from the rest of the DCU - as a show like this largely would have to - would be a mistake. sure, maybe it's not such a big loss to ditch the piss-takes on my boy GL, Lobo etc...but that Superman issue deserved it's Eisner, you know? peak Ennis, stepping outside his anti-capes troupe to talk about the ideas of america/etc and really kinda nail the tao of a character, it'd be a huge loss.

 

also: fuck, never realized how bad i want a Tommy figure. tragic that by the time Preacher finally saw those DC direct ones, they hadn't even printed the rest of the damn book in trade yet.

[Iambaytor]

Oh being part of the DCU is necessary but I think they could nail the slingshot tone with the right showrunner.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Iambaytor

[The NZA]

Amazon Orders Garth Ennis And Darick Robertson’s ‘The Boys’ To Series

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Amazon has greenlighted superhero drama The Boys to series with an eight-episode order. Based on the comic book by Garth Ennis (Preacher) and Darick Robertson, it was created by Supernatural creator and Timeless co-creator Eric Kripke and will be directed by the Preacher duo of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. The project hails from Sony Pictures TV Studios, which will co-produce with Amazon, and Neal H. Moritz’s studio-based Original Films.

The Boys marks the first green light since the recent executive shakeup at Amazon Studios, which led to the exits of head Roy Price and head of comedy and drama Joe Lewis. The Boys, which had been in development at Amazon for several months, is part of the company’s push into genre programming, spearheaded by Sharon Tal Yguado, who is now Head of Scripted Series for Amazon Studios. It is the first series order under that programming initiative and also is part of Amazon’s recent shift toward more straight-to-series orders and fewer pilots.

The Boys reteams the key auspices behind AMC’s Preacher, which also hails from Goldberg, Rogen and their Point Grey Pictures, Sony TV and Original Films and also is based on a comic co-created/written by Ennis.

 

 

Karl Urban is Billy Butcher for Amazon’s “The Boys.”

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Urban will play The Boys’ leader Billy Butcher. Mysterious, brutal and with a personal but secret agenda, Billy Butcher approaches Hughie (co-lead Jack Quaid), claiming to be a shadowy government operative. Butcher capitalizes on Hughie’s rage over his girlfriend Robin’s accidental death at the hands of Superhero A-Train (Jesse T. Usher) and enlists Hughie as part of his plan to bring down the Superhero franchise.

 

 good for karl, though 

[Mr. Hakujin]

Heh, yeah. Good for Karl. I like him, but I always thought Dominic West (McNulty from The Wire) would be a great Butcher for some reason. I guess Simon Pegg is too old now for Wee Hughie. Looked up this Jack Quaid kid and recognized him from a few things. Solid comedic actor. Also, I didn't know he was the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, so bully for him.  Maybe uncle Randy will show up in the show as a villain or outta work hero.  (He's rockin' a crazy beard at the moment. Like 10x beyond what David Letterman has.)

[The NZA]

decided to start this after invincible (because i'm clearly in the mood for gore?) and so far, liking it more than the book - watching the team come together & butcher not have it all together feels more organic, plus the format allows for so much more vought evil/look at power levels etc.

 

the jokes & gore definitely feel true to ennis, i'm maybe halfway though season 1 but i can already see how this is looking to be a much more faithful & interesting take than preacher was.

[alive she cried]

Yep. This is straight up way better than the book while still being true to it's essence. It retains Ennis derision of superheroes but does so in a far more mature and balanced way (which is kind of hilarious when you consider how silly this show is). 

 

I remember enjoying the book and then just burning out at how cliche Ennisy it became, I returned to it after a long hiatus spurred on by 2t's recommendation to go back and finish it. I did actually enjoy the books ending and Butcher's prequel, but the show is already far superior for me. I'm especially astounded these guys pulled it off, as I hated Preacher so much after the first four or five episodes.

Edited June 29, 2021 by alive she cried

[The NZA]

agreed! also just tied up season 1 - shit, what a tweest 

[alive she cried]

Yeah, hell of an ending huh? Season 2 is just as fun.

Edited June 29, 2021 by alive she cried

[Jont]

On 6/29/2021 at 1:25 AM, alive she cried said:

Yep. This is straight up way better than the book while still being true to it's essence. It retains Ennis derision of superheroes but does so in a far more mature and balanced way (which is kind of hilarious when you consider how silly this show is). 

 

I remember enjoying the book and then just burning out at how cliche Ennisy it became, I returned to it after a long hiatus spurred on by 2t's recommendation to go back and finish it. I did actually enjoy the books ending and Butcher's prequel, but the show is already far superior for me. I'm especially astounded these guys pulled it off, as I hated Preacher so much after the first four or five episodes.

I never made it through the Boys, not first time round, nor when I started re-reading it on my phone after watching the series. Ennis definitely lost his appeal around then. Seems like throughout his career he's had a pixie on each shoulder, one called Bathos and the other Pathos, each whispering in his ear, it seems at some point Bathos bit off Pathos' head and shat down his neck, and that's why we have the Ennis we have today. 

Preacher (the TV show) was alright, but the comic was great. None of the characters were quite what they were supposed to be, but Jesse himself was the greatest error, as he is in the comics he carries himself with a sense of purpose that is both frightening and seductive, but they didn't have the nerve to put that character on the screen so they neutered him. SAD. 

[Jont]

So yeah, The Boys the TV show is an improvement on all fronts. 

[The NZA]

The Boys Spin-off ordered by Amazon Studios

Amazon Studios has given a formal series greenlight to a YA spinoff from the Emmy-nominated superhero drama

The Boys., produced by Sony Pictures Television. Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters have come on board to serve as showrunners and executive producers on the yet untitled series, which assembled most of its main cast in anticipation of the series order.

As previously announced, Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Shane Paul McGhie, Aimee Carrero, Reina Hardesty, and Maddie Phillips are set to portray young superheroes on the show set at America's only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes (run by Vought International). The Untitled The Boys spinoff is described as an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities. It's part college show, part Hunger Games— with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys.

 

i'd been wondering when/if superhero con would come up...maybe they retooled it as this YA show? if so, seems like another smart move from the showrunners

 

[alive she cried]

Herogasm has been confirmed for the upcoming season. Apparently it's going to be wild as well.

 

 

 

 

[The NZA]

 

[The NZA]

 

[spiffytee]

Funny ad, watching the behind the scenes show the homelander actor seems so different.  Like more quiet and reserved and thoughtful.

[The NZA]

 

anybody watching the animated stuff? didn't hear much good about most of it, but apparently one episode "i'm your pusher" was written by ennis & stands out, might have to track that one down

[Visitant]

Yeah no ones really talking about it. Kinda sad since the concept seemed neat. 

[The NZA]

all caught up, 2nd to last season down and shit of course hit the fan

 

crazy how much better this show is than the book, and that's even with it spinning its wheels a bit this season (frenchie storyline in particular was kinda ehhh)

 

i started the gen V show and just watched the end, apparently that one is getting a 2nd season & more spinoffs to come so they're definitely gonna milk this one for all its worth, just glad the main show's (hopefully) wrapped up next season

 

...might be in for the prequel one they just announced with soldier boy though

 

 

[alive she cried]

Overall I enjoyed it, but this did feel like a significant dip in quality for me compared to the other seasons, and even Gen V to be honest. 

 

Like you point out, Frenchie's story was pure filler, Kimiko too for me was a lot of nothing. I thought they end the show exactly where I thought they were last season, a couple. 

 

Hughie is raped/sexually assaulted twice within two episodes, and it's treated very strangely. Almost like he's the cause of the second one with the shapechanger. I hate to be 'that guy' but if it was a female character I don't think it'd be treated so lightly.

 

Butchers Fight Club moment fell flat for me, just wasn't built up enough to have that huge a payoff. I did like him going full Butcher from the comics though at the end...maybe.

 

Also the politics while never too subtle before felt extremely on the nose, it took me out of it a bit. Homelander is a great Trump allegory but at times I stopped seeing Homelander and just saw a superpowered musclely Trump ()

Edited August 3, 2024 by alive she cried

[The NZA]

christ i had no idea tilda swindon was the deep's octopus partner, that's crazy

 

8 hours ago, alive she cried said:

Hughie is raped/sexually assaulted twice within two episodes, and it's treated very strangely. Almost like he's the cause of the second one with the shapechanger. I hate to be 'that guy' but if it was a female character I don't think it'd be treated so lightly.

 

yeah, no, it's hard to not dwell on that. the time with tek knight was treated as comedic (...) but the multiple times with the shapeshifter were just...writing choices made?

like, i'm not a fan of it, but game of thrones shlock writers used sexual assault to keep beating the viewer over the head with how awful the world was.  it was needless & gratuitous, but there was a (lazy) goal there.  the combination of these assaults on poor hughie, following the horrific tragedy of his old man like an ep or so before..i kept thinking, are we trying to push him into being the next butcher for the last season, or is this just more "throw everything and the kitchen sink" they're doing with other characters to move things along to the season finale? 

 

it was uncomfortable, and starlight giving him shit about it felt gross too