The Boys has become a huge success for Amazon Prime Video, but the streaming service wasn’t the only one wanting a superhero series for adults. Netflix tried to adapt the comic of a legendary author, but failed even with the first season.
Which series is it about? In 2021, Netflix released the first season of Jupiter’s Legacy. The superhero series is based on a comic series by Mark Millar. He is considered a legend in the industry, having written for Marvel’s Civil War and Old Man Logan, and for DC Superman: Red Son.
In 2013, he released his own comic series with Jupiter‘s Legacy. The story revolves around a generational conflict among superheroes. On one hand, the first generation of superheroes from the 1930s is depicted, focusing on Sheldon The Utopian
Sampson. Together with other heroes, he establishes a group of heroes and rules to protect humanity.
On the other hand, the story of the subsequent generation is told, which must struggle with new villains, as well as with the pressure imposed on them by their parents, who appear to be perfect heroes. There are family conflicts similar to those seen in House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones.
The Netflix series was an alternative to other superhero series like The Boys or Invincible. But after just one season, it was over, even though there were apparently high ambitions.
High Budget, but Disappointing Reviews
How did Jupiter’s Legacy fare? On May 7, 2021, Netflix released the series, which was not well received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it achieved a score of only 40% from 57 reviews. The users were somewhat kinder with an overall rating of 72% from over 1,000 ratings.
The numbers didn’t look too bad. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series reached a total of 696 million viewed minutes in the week from May 3 to May 9. In comparison, One Piece reached nearly 817 million viewed minutes in its second season during the first week (Source: Netflix).
However, just 4 weeks later, it was announced that the series would be canceled. Even though the numbers were not bad, there were many issues behind the scenes. As The Hollywood Reporter reports, the original showrunner of the series, Steven DeKnight, had a dispute with Netflix over his demand of $12 million per episode, whereas Netflix reduced the budget to $9 million.
The estimated sum was exceeded during production, leading to delays. DeKnight left the production and Sang Kyu Kim took over his role. However, the problems could not be easily solved, and 2020 was said to have been spent a long time in post-production.
According to an unnamed insider cited by The Hollywood Reporter, the season was said to have cost $130 million – according to other unnamed sources, even $200 million. Therefore, it could be that expectations due to the high costs were simply too high.
For Mark Millar and Netflix, however, this should not be the end.
Jupiter‘s Legacy should be just the beginning
Does Netflix want to adapt more projects from Mark Millar? In 2017, Netflix acquired Millarworld. Mark Millar founded the company as a publisher to distribute his own comics. Among them are well-known series like Kick-Ass, Kingsman or Jupiter’s Legacy.
After Jupiter’s Legacy, more projects based on Millar’s works were supposed to follow. A series for The Magic Order was to be released, but since 2021 there have been no new updates on it (Source: about-netflix.com).
Indeed, two more works of his have been adapted. In 2023, The Chosen One was released. The series is based on the comic series American Jesus. However, there was only one season here as well.
Super Crooks was adapted as an anime in 2021. After the cancellation of Jupiter’s Legacy, Millar announced on x.com that they are still working on a live-action version. However, such a project has not materialized yet.
What do you think of Jupiter’s Legacy? Have you seen the series and would you have liked a second season? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
With Mark Millar’s works, Netflix still has a large reservoir of superhero stories that it can adapt in the future. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen. Until then, these series can keep you entertained: 7 series that you should watch after The Boys
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