Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE Animated Series Receives Straight-to-Series Order from Amazon
Nearly a year after moving his overall deal from AMC to Amazon Studios,
The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has lined up his first new series under the pact and it's a familiar one.
Amazon Studios has handed out a straight-to-series order for an hourlong animated take on
Invincible, based on Kirkman's recently concluded comic book of the same name.
Like the comic, the eight-episode "adult animated" Amazon series, from Kirkman and Cory Walker, revolves around Mark Grayson, a normal teenager except for the fact that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet. Shortly after his 17th birthday, Mark begins to develop powers of his own and enters into his father’s tutelage. The series is suspenseful, action-filled and emotion-packed, yet builds upon poignant and heartwarming moments of love, friendship and humanity.
The series is produced by Kirkman's Skybound, with Simon Racioppa (
Teen Titans) set as showrunner. Kirkman, Racioppa, David Alpert (
The Walking Dead) and Catherine Winder (
Star Wars: The Clone Wars) are attached to executive produce. Justin and Chris Copeland (
Ultimate Spider-Man) will serve as supervising directors.
First launched in 2003, the comic published by Kirkman's Image Comics imprint Skybound Entertainment
wrapped its run in February after 144 issues. Kirkman and Walker created the title, with Ryan Ottley boarding with the eighth issue as its central artist.
Invincible was developed in April 2017 as a
feature film, which sources say is still active. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are set to write, direct and produce the adaptation of the comic, with Kirkman on board via Skybound's
first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Skybound topper Alpert and co-presidents of film and TV Bryan Furst and Sean Furst are attached to the feature and will return for the Amazon series.
Invincible is Kirkman's first series under his overall deal with Amazon Studios. The pact reunited him with genre topper Yguado, who helped turn
The Walking Dead series into a global phenomenon when the series launched day-and-date across the globe.
The
Invincible order gives Kirkman his fourth scripted series on the air, joining AMC's
The Walking Dead and spinoff
Fear the Walking Dead as well as Cinemax's exorcism drama
Outcast. All of them are based on Kirkman's Skybound comics.
For its part, Amazon checks off three boxes with
Invincible in that the series is a genre play, animated and a YA-themed entry. Genre and YA are both top priorities for new Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke. The series comes as animation continues to be a top priority for streamers.
'Walking Dead' Creator Sets First Amazon Series: Animated Comic Book Drama 'Invincible'