Netflix unfurls The Umbrella Academy live-action series

NETFLIX is not only unleashing The Kraken but also The Rumour, The Horror and The White Violin.

The streaming service has ordered a live-action adaptation of writer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Ba’s acclaimed The Umbrella Academy comic book, which follows the exploits of a dysfunctional family of estranged superheroes.

Way, the former lead singer of the band My Chemical Romance, said in a statement that he was “thrilled” with Umbrella Academy’s new streaming home. “I couldn’t think of a better place for the vision Gabriel Ba and myself had when creating the comic, and cannot wait for people to experience that world as a live-action show.”

The series, due in 2018, will centre on the members of the Umbrella Academy – including Spaceboy, The Kraken, The Rumour, The Seance, Number Five, The Horror, and The White Violin – who try to solve the mystery of their father’s death while also dealing with their disparate personalities and abilities. The first six-issue limited series, The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, debuted in 2007, and the second, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, followed a year later.

“What drew us to The Umbrella Academy is that it’s wholly unique, visual and stylised,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix. “These aren’t the usual superheroes, and this series will embrace the singular tone of the graphic novels – dark yet humorous, supernatural yet grounded in reality. We’re excited to see this world and introduce these unforgettable heroes to Netflix members around the globe.”

Way fronted My Chemical Romance from 2001 to 2013 – and released his Hesitant Alien solo album in 2014 – but in recent years has focused on his comics work. He heads up DC Comics’ Young Animal imprint and writes two series, Doom Patrol and Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye. – Tribune News Service