Don’t count out that comics IP just yet! Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips has just been picked up as a series by Amazon Prime. mystery writer Jordan Harper (She Rides Shotgun (Gotham) will serve as co-showrunner alongside Brubaker, with Phillips joining as exec producer, along with Sarah Carbiener and Phillip Barnett.
The series has been in development for more than a year.
Criminal started life at Icon Publishing, Marvel’s brief creator owned line, but is currently published at Image Comics, along with the rest of the fertile Brubaker/Phillips collaborations. The series kicked off their acclaimed series of “noir” comics collaborations – which includes mini series and now standalone graphic novels – and features an interconnected series of crime stores.
In streaming form, Criminal was a special project for Prime SVOD original content Nick Pepperaccording to THR, who says he’s trying to make his mark there. Pepper was formerly at Legendary Television and signed Brubaker to an overall deal while there.
“Criminal is a beloved graphic novel created by the most iconic team in the history of comics,” said Pepper, whose full title is head of US SVOD wholly owned development, Amazon MGM Studios. “I know our global Prime Video customers will immediately embrace this story, and I look forward to working with Ed, Jordan and the team to bring it to the screen.”
“Sean and I have been building this world in our books for over a decade, and now to be able to bring it to life for Amazon is just incredible. And to have Amazon support the project the way they have and show so much faith in my and Jordan’s vision for the show is even more incredible,” Brubaker said in a statement.
This is far from Brubaker’s first go on streaming/TV. He’s been a writer for Westworld and Batman: Caped Crusader, and co-created the enigmatic series of shorts Too Old to Die Young with Nicolas Winding Refn. Brubaker also co-created the character of the Winter Soldier and had a cameo in Civil War.
The Brubaker-Phillips collaboration is one for the must fruitful in modern comics history, and if Criminal is a success, there’s a lot more where that came from.
