Video giant Netflix has bought the Scottish comic company Millarworld.
Comic book writer Mark Millar, 47, from Coatbridge, Scotland, whose works Kick-Ass and Wanted have been made into hit films, set up the firm in the early 2000s having previously worked at Marvel, the Telegraph reports.
In a statement on his website, he wrote: “Warner Bros bought DC Comics in 1968. Disney bought Marvel in 2009. Today Netflix purchased Millarworld and I’m still blinking. This is only the third time in history a comic-book company purchase on this scale has ever happened.”
“I started Millarworld as a creator-owned comic-book company nearly 15 years ago, after talking some artist pals into being their own bosses. We’d all had success at DC and Marvel, but this was a chance to control the characters created and reap the rewards from any future movies, TV or merchandise that ever came from those characters and books.
“Over the years, Millarworld has amassed twenty different franchises working with the world’s greatest artists, and now Millarworld has been bought by the hottest, most exciting entertainment company on the planet. To say this is the best thing that ever happened in our professional lives would be an understatement.”
Netflix said it will stream films, series and children’s shows based on Millarworld characters, and the comics brand will continue to create and publish new stories and character franchises under the Netflix label.
The terms of the acquisition, Netflix’s first in its history, were not disclosed.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said: “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.
“We can’t wait to harness the creative power of Millarworld to Netflix and start a new era in global storytelling.”
