Netflix on Monday announced its first ever acquisition, Mark Millar’s comic book company Millarworld. The streaming company will make original content based on Millarworld science-fiction and superhero comics. Netflix did not reveal how much it has bought the company for, though The Wall Street Journal reported it was between $50 million and $100 million.
Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said Millar was “as close as you can get to a modern day Stan Lee.” Some of Millarworld’s well-known comics include Kingsman, Kick-ass, Wanted, and Jupiter’s Circle. However, the first three of these have already been made into movies, so they were not part of the deal with Netflix.
Netflix has already tied up with Marvel and made series like Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage. The company has recently started making much more of its own original content, with shows like Stranger Things and Glow. Netflix now has more than 104 million members from over 190 countries.
Mark Millar, in a blog post, said, “This is only the third time in history a comic-book company purchase on this scale has ever happened.” In 1968, Warner Bros bought DC Comics, and Disney bought Marvel in 2009.
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