Umbrella Academy to Get Feature Film Adaptation

The Dark Horse Comic The Umbrella Academy is being adapted to the big screen for Universal Pictures with Mark Bomback at the helm.

This Eisner Award winning comic book, not to be confused with the Umbrella Corporation, is written by My Chemical Romance lead Gerard Way.

MovieWeb reports:

In the comics, The Umbrella Academy is a group of superheroes who had disbanded years ago. The heroes were all adopted and trained by Reginald Hargreeves, an alien disguised as a wealthy entrepreneur. When Hargreeves dies, the members of the Umbrella Academy reunite to carry on his mission and save the world.

At my last Comic Book Collectors Anonymous meeting an addict fell of the wagon and bought this book. We haven’t seen him since.

Of course I attend those meetings just to make my wife happy and keep my books in the basement.

I have heard a lot of good things about this series, and I have to admit that news of it coming it to come to the big screen makes me even more curious.

Has anyone else read this series? What do you think of it?

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8 thoughts on “Umbrella Academy to Get Feature Film Adaptation

  1. I’m SO stoked for this movie!

    I loved the Apocolypse Suite storyline, and I’m excited to read Dallas as soon as it hits TBP. While agree that its kind of tried-and-true storytelling, its also presented in a way thats extremely unique… though I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it is thats unique.

    @Mladen: I read an interview with Gerard Way a while back about his involvement in the film, and he seemed to make a point that most of the aspects of the film would be handled by choices that people wouldn’t expect (i.e.- the director: Mark Bomback isn’t exactly a seasoned Director in any respect.), and that included the music… he may have even made a point about not having his band do the soundtrack, though I dont remember for sure.

  2. I read the first trade. Love the James Jean covers.

    To the regular comic book fan you’ll probably see it as a bit derivative of the whole post-Ellis/Morrison style of the superheroes/scifi with a quirky twist. Not much from the story stood out for me, but it was definately professionally done and was readable (input from a good editor?). Very little about the book was unique in any way: comic book fans have seen it a thousand times, though to non-comic readers (fans of Way) it’ll seem fresh.

    I actually think that’ll work in the film’s favour. The book has the familiar/comfortable comic-book tropes and idioms, and is visually quirky enough that I think it could go down really well as an aimed-for-teens superhero film.

    Add to that the fact that you’ll most likely get a My Chemical Romance soundtrack and you’ve got yourself a film that’ll probably do pretty well.

  3. I’ve read the entire first series. It’s quite good but out there ( I haven’t re read it in a while though) I think it’d be interesting as a film. The screenwriter is okay. It’s just a drag because we have to wait to 2012. ( source IMDB)

  4. I’ve read a couple of the comics while I was at a book store. Honestly i liked it its dark and twisted, but it doesn’t come off to strong on that. maybe the movie will be decent.

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