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Netflix acquires Mark Millar’s Millarworld as Disney says goodbye…

August 8th, 2017 by Marc 1 Comment

Big news for Netflix today as they make a bit acquisition while another massive partner leaves…

Firstly,  Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that they will be removing all their content from the streaming service, this will include Pixar movies, however the Marvel TV shows will stay.

The change will take place form 2019 when Frozen 2, live-action Lion King and Toy Story 4 arrive, paving the way for a standalone Disney streaming service.

They will also launch an  ESPNvideo streaming service in early 2018, featuring about 10,000 sporting events each year from the MLB, NHL, MLS, collegiate sports and tennis’ Grand Slam events.

However, on the plus side, get ready for a lot more comicbook inspired content from Netflix themselves as they have acquired the services of comcbook legend Mark Millar:

Netflix Inc. announced today it acquired Millarworld, the comic book publishing powerhouse founded by Mark Millar, the legendary creator of such iconic characters and stories as Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Old Man Logan, and one of the most important voices in comics.

Together, Netflix and Millar will bring Millarworld’s portfolio of critically and fan-acclaimed character franchises to life through films, series and kids’ shows available exclusively to Netflix members globally. Millarworld will also continue to create and publish new stories and character franchises under the Netflix label.

The acquisition, the first ever by Netflix, is a natural progression in the company’s effort to work directly with prolific and skilled creators and to acquire intellectual property and ownership of stories featuring compelling characters and timeless, interwoven fictional worlds. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

“As creator and re-inventor of some of the most memorable stories and characters in recent history, ranging from Marvel’s The Avengers to Millarworld’s Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Wanted and Reborn franchises, Mark is as close as you can get to a modern day Stan Lee,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. “We can’t wait to harness the creative power of Millarworld to Netflix and start a new era in global storytelling.”

“This is only the third time in history a major comic book company has been purchased at this level,” said Millar. “I’m so in love with what Netflix is doing and excited by their plans. Netflix is the future and Millarworld couldn’t have a better home.”

Millar, who runs Millarworld with his wife Lucy Millar, is one of the most consistent hitmakers in the graphic novel and comics world. In his eight years at Marvel, he developed the comic books and story arcs that inspired the first ​Avengers ​movie, Captain America: Civil War, ​and ​Logan ​(Wolverine)​, ​which collectively grossed over $3 billion in worldwide box office. Since Millarworld was started, the company and its
co-creators have given birth to eighteen published character worlds, of which three, Wanted, Kick-Ass ​and ​Kingsman, ​have yielded theatrical films that together have grossed nearly $1 billion in global box office.

“Mark has created a next-generation comics universe, full of indelible characters living in situations people around the world can identify easily with,” added Sarandos. “We look forward to creating new Netflix Originals from several existing franchises as well as new super-hero, anti-hero, fantasy, sci-fi and horror stories Mark and his team will continue to create and publish.”

 

Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….