Netflix are no strangers to developing original episodic projects based on comic books, but after the Marvel experiment ended with the entire lineup being canceled as Kevin Feige folded the company’s television division and sought to reacquire the rights to as many characters as possible, the streaming service has since shifted its focus to lesser known properties.
It’s worked a treat so far, too, with The Umbrella Academy pulling in big numbers across both seasons, while Warrior Nun and Raising Dion have also been picked up for a second run, and Locke & Key has been renewed for a third. The latest splashy adaptation looking to put a dent in the most-watched list is Jupiter’s Legacy, which is coming to the platform tomorrow.
Former Daredevil showrunner and Pacific Rim: Uprising director Steven S. DeKnight oversaw development of the series, bringing the world created by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely to life. The story is centered around generational conflict, with a group of elder statesmen known as The Union gaining powers in the 1930s and becoming disenchanted with how their descendants grapple with their abilities in the modern day.
Josh Duhamel plays the lead role of thinly-veiled Superman riff The Utopian, with The Crown‘s Ben Daniels on board as his brother Brainwave, who has psychic powers and political aspirations, and Leslie Bibb suiting up as Lady Liberty, striking the work/life balance between saving the world and putting in hours at a law firm.
There are definitely shades of Watchmen in the premise, but Jupiter’s Legacy looks like it’ll be the latest smash hit for Netflix, based on the big ideas at the center of the story and promise of effects-driven superpowered action, not to mention an impressive sense of scale and spectacle.