Jupiter’s Legacy
Josh Duhamel on playing ageing superhero The Utopian whose children are struggling to live up to his past deeds...
From FRIDAY 7 May, eight episodes as a box set Netflix Drama
In this fantasy series, the world’s first generation of superheroes received their powers in the 1930s. Now they are the old guard, whose children struggle to match their feats…
Available: Friday 7 May Genre: Fantasy drama Season: 1 Episodes: 8 Runs: 35-55 mins
Netflix dives headlong into the world of comics in this ambitious series telling the story of the world’s first ever superheroes. The tale begins when Sheldon Sampson’s steel empire crumbles following 1929’s Wall Street Crash and he travels to a remote island in the South Pacific with his wife, brother and three friends. It’s there they mysteriously gain special powers. Sheldon (Josh Duhamel) becomes ‘The Utopian’, establishing the Union of Justice to keep mankind safe. But as the action switches to the present, his children struggle to live up to his legacy...
Great responsibility
‘This was my first time playing any kind of a superhero,’ says Josh. ‘But I was just as excited to explore the drama of this family and their fractured relationships as I was about putting on The Utopian’s suit.’
Sheldon’s wife, Grace AKA ‘Lady Liberty’ (Leslie Bibb), and elder brother Walter
AKA ‘Brainwave’
(Ben Daniels), also have trouble connecting with their young relatives.
‘Sheldon has very strong beliefs in how things should be run and his kids have different beliefs,’ Josh explains. ‘They’re questioning “The Code”, which the Union has followed since the beginning.’
Josh was delighted to get a starring role in the series, based on the world of famous comic-book author Mark Millar.
‘Fans are going to be thrilled to see it come to life,’ he says. ‘We’ve worked very hard to honour the original material!’