Comics
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to Save “The Boys,” Too!
Garth Ennis‘ “Preacher” is one of my all-time favorite comics. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Neal Moritz saved it from development hell, and has allegedly delivered a one-two punch with the pilot that’s set to air on AMC this summer.
While already heroes, they are on the verge of becoming television titans.
After years of false starts, Cinemax has put in development “The Boys,” from the “Preacher” team of Rogen and Goldberg’s Point Grey, Moritz’s Original Film and Sony TV, Deadline reports.
“The Boys” is being developed by Rogen, Goldberg and “Supernatural” creator Eric Kripke, and to be written by Kripke based on the graphic novel written by Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson.
The series is set in a time where most of the superheroes are corrupted by their celebrity status and often engage in reckless behavior, compromising the safety of the world. It centers on a CIA squad, known informally as “the boys,” whose job is to keep watch on the proliferation of superheroes and, if necessary, eliminate some of them.
Rogen and Goldberg, who helmed the “Preacher” pilot, are set to direct.
Like with “Preacher,” which had gone though numerous TV and feature incarnations over 16 years until it was finally made by AMC, “The Boys” also has had a long development history. Over the past eight years, it had been in the works as a movie at Columbia Pictures and Paramount. Rogen, Goldberg and Moritz had previously worked on it before it went into turnaround back in 2012.
At Cinemax, “The Boys” joins another drama adaptation of a dark comic, Robert Kirkman’s “Outcast,” which was picked up to series from director Adam Wingard (V/H/S, V/H/S/2, You’re Next, The Guest, The Woods).
“The Boys” ran for 72 issues from 2008-2012, published initially by Wildstorm (#1-6) and then by Dynamite Entertainment.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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