Even though the live-action adaptation was announced a year before Netflix closed the deal, and the source material was published by Image Comics and not its creator’s in-house label, the shadow of Millarworld nonetheless looms large over The Chosen One.
Since splurging $31 million on the acquisition back in late 2019, Netflix has so far delivered a whole two projects based on the prolific Millar’s work. One of them cost a reputed $200 million and was a disaster on every level, and the other was an animated show that barely made a dent in the public consciousness.
Suffice to say, the streaming service has yet to see a tangible return on its investment so far, but at least The Chosen One is finally starting to make its way up the most-watched rankings. Having only cracked the Top 10 in a dozen countries in its first 24 hours, the eight-episode fantasy has surged overnight to cement itself as part of the upper echelons in 49 nations worldwide per FlixPatrol, and it’s now sitting pretty as the eighth top-viewed episodic original available so subscribers globally.
Audiences seem to have been enjoying it, too, based on a strong 91 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so there could genuinely be some signs of life for The Chosen One. Whether or not is ends up maintaining its high-flying status for the foreseeable future remains to be seen, but at least things aren’t getting any worse for a project that was barely marketed or acknowledged by Netflix, and then dumped on-demand without so much as even the lightest fanfare.