<ul class="summary-list"><li>A spin-off series based on Prime Video's hit show "<keyword id="11916582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-boys" source="Orion">The Boys</keyword>" is in the works, titled "Gen V." </li><li>The show, set for release in 2023, will center on people with superpowers at a Vought-owned college. </li></ul>Following the success of Prime Video's "<a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-season-3-details-references-breakdown-2022-6">The Boys</a>," a spin-off series is in the works centered on a younger generation of supes. Development of the then-untitled show was <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/the-boys-spinoff-in-the-works-at-amazon">announced in late-September 2020</a>, weeks after <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-season-2-unanswered-questions-2020-10">season two</a> of "The Boys" debuted on the streaming service and became the <a href="https://www.cbr.com/boys-amazon-season-2-audience-nearly-doubled/#:~:text=According%20to%20Variety%2C%20viewership%20for,an%20Amazon%20original%20series%20ever.%22">most-watched global launch of an Amazon Original series ever</a>. In September 2021, it was <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBoysTV/status/1442626010785230848">given a series order</a>. Here's what we know about the college-centric show, called "Gen V," so far. <h2>The series will focus on a Vought-run college</h2><div type="image" title="Jaz Sinclair as Marie in the first trailer for &quot;Gen V.&quot;" height="792" width="1056" msid="96011710" hostid="261" sizebytes="54228"></div>The spin-off, helmed by "Agent Carter" showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, will explore "the lives of hormonal, competitive supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities. Part college show, part 'Hunger Games' — with all the heart, satire and raunch of 'The Boys,'" <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/the-boys-spinoff-amazon-1234782755/">Variety</a> reported."The Boys" showrunner Eric Kripke told <a href="https://ew.com/tv/the-boys-season-2-finale-digital-cover/">Entertainment Weekly</a> that the idea for the spin-off came about organically in January 2020, especially after noticing that there aren't college shows with this premise."It's a Vought-owned college where young kids with powers are trained as to how to be proper superheroes, all leading to an NBA-style draft at the end of the year," Kripke told <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/superheroes-are-inherently-maga-the-boys-boss-on-his-zeitgeisty-hit-4077486/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. "It's sort of like a college sports show meets 'Fame,' because they also have to go to acting classes and marketing classes. It's going to be a very character-driven, hopefully incredibly realistic, college show."<div type="image" title="Chance Perdomo in the first trailer for &quot;Gen V.&quot;" height="793" width="1057" msid="96011711" hostid="261" sizebytes="11776"></div>Cast member Patrick Schwarzenegger described the series as "'Euphoria' meets superheroes" in an interview with <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/patrick-schwarzenegger-the-staircase/id1142302785?i=1000566354308" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Marc Malkin's "Just for Variety" podcast.</a>Kripke told <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/features/the-boys-spinoff-release-date-season-4-mcu-1235306102/">Variety</a> that the comparison is accurate to a degree."It's about kids who are complicated psychologically getting into trouble," he said. "So in that way, it's like 'Euphoria.' I don't know if it's quite as dark, frankly, as 'Euphoria.'""I think it will be surprising, the amount of emotion that is in that story, with all the usual 'Boys' swagger," Kripke told <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/07/the-boys-creator-eric-kripke-emmy-noms-season-3-spinoff-amazon-prime-video-1234791974/">Deadline</a> in July 2021.<h2>The cast will include rising actors, like 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' star <keyword id="12198339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jaz-sinclair" source="Orion">Jaz Sinclair</keyword></h2><div type="image" title="Jaz Sinclair as Marie in the first trailer for &quot;Gen V.&quot;" height="792" width="1057" msid="96011712" hostid="261" sizebytes="16010"></div>Sinclair, who portrayed Roz in "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/chilling-adventures-of-sabrina">CAOS</a>," was <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/the-boys-spinoff-amazon-lizze-broadway-1234928426/">one of the first cast members announced</a> along with "The Rookie" actress Lizze Broadway. Sinclair and Broadway will star as supes named Marie and Emma, respectively. "Teenage Bounty Hunters" star <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/the-boys-spinoff-adds-three-cast-1234934919/">Maddie Phillips</a> will also play a supe. The cast has <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/aimee-carrero-shane-paul-mcghie-exit-the-boys-spinoff-carrero-joins-the-consultant-prime-video-1234975461/">undergone some changes </a><a href="https://deadline.com/2022/04/reina-hardesty-exit-the-boys-spinoff-series-1235009714/">in the lineup</a><a href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/aimee-carrero-shane-paul-mcghie-exit-the-boys-spinoff-carrero-joins-the-consultant-prime-video-1234975461/"></a> since initial reports, with new actors being added to the series. "CAOS" alum Chace Perdomo <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/chance-perdomo-the-boys-spinoff-recasting-1234980324/">replaced</a> Shane Paul McGhie in March 2022 following his departure. In May 2022, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/05/london-thor-the-boys-spinoff-derek-luh-asa-germann-shelley-conn-1235020015/">Deadline</a> reported additional castings: London Thor ("Shameless"), Derek Luh ("Shining Vale"), Shelley Conn ("Bridgerton"), and Asa Germann.Patrick Schwarzenegger ("The Staircase") as <a href="https://variety.com/2022/streaming/columns/the-staircase-patrick-schwarzenegger-the-boys-spinoff-1235292860/">Golden Boy</a>, Sean Patrick Thomas ("The Tragedy of Macbeth"), and Marco Pigossi ("Invisible City") <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/05/patrick-schwarzenegger-sean-patrick-thomas-marco-pigossi-the-boys-spinoff-1235021404/">joined the cast</a> shortly after. <h2>Season 3 of 'The Boys' included Easter eggs teasing the spin-off </h2><div type="image" title="An arrow pointing to a computer screen in season three, episode two of &quot;The Boys.&quot;" height="1166" width="2878" msid="92837938" hostid="261"></div>When Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) visited the Red River Institute in episode two, he looked at a computer screen showing supe kids who are part of the group home. A photo of Sinclair's character, 17-year-old Marie M. could be seen briefly as Hughie scrolled. Another, less obvious, nod to the upcoming spin-off was included in episode five. During a conversation with A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), the supe named Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler) said they both trained with Coach Brink and were taught to "dominate totally."Kripke confirmed to <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/features/the-boys-spinoff-release-date-season-4-mcu-1235306102/">Variety</a> that that was a nod to the spin-off."Both of those guys graduated from Good Oak, which is the name of the school, and Brink is a reference to the big superhero trainer at that school who is a character in the spinoff," he said. <h2>There will be crossover between 'The Boys' and the spin-off</h2><div type="image" title="From left: Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Laz Alonso for season three of &quot;The Boys.&quot;" height="1592" width="2123" msid="92837941" hostid="261"></div>Prior to the unveiling of the show's official name, the spin-off title was referred to as "Varsity.""There's definitely crossover, and we're doing our best to design a universe that sees some of the issues and storylines in season three [of 'The Boys'] hand off to the first season in 'Varsity,'" Kripke told <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/07/the-boys-spoilers-season-3-donald-trump-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-eric-kripke-interiew-black-noir-1235060686/">Deadline</a>.He continued: "There's a presidential campaign happening in the background of that season, and there are certain things that are happening at that school that are both in reaction to season three of 'The Boys.' There's Soldier Boy, et cetera, but also some new storylines that are happening in that season of the spin-off that we have to pick up and take into season four of the show."Kripke also told <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/boys-penis-homelander-trump-billy-joel-season-3-1369258/">Rolling Stone</a> that familiar faces from 'The Boys" will pop up in the spin-off. "Without spoiling anything, I think there will be several very, very cool cameos," he teased, "because it's a Vought-run college, so crossover with Vought characters is inevitable, really."<h2>The title, 'Gen V,' was announced in July 2022</h2><div type="image" title="Lizze Broadway as Emma in the first trailer for &quot;Gen V.&quot;" height="788" width="1054" msid="96011713" hostid="261" sizebytes="37068"></div>The official Twitter account for "The Boys" posted a <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBoysTV/status/1547959303872491520">video</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBoysTV/status/1547991771187068932">photos</a> introducing followers to the cast of the spin-off."It's got everything 'The Boys' has: the intensity, the grit, the humor," Germann said."It's fucked up. You're gonna like it," Perdomo added.<h2>'Gen V' will debut sometime in 2023</h2>In July 2022, Kripke told <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/features/the-boys-spinoff-release-date-season-4-mcu-1235306102/">Variety</a> that the spin-off was "almost halfway through shooting." The rollout plan for the show is for episodes to be released when "The Boys" isn't currently airing. "I think the overall goal is to start leapfrogging them, where, a series of months after 'The Boys' wraps, season one of the spin-off will drop," Kripke told the publication. "And then a series of months after that, season four of 'The Boys' will drop."The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDyDg04x1W0">first trailer</a> for "Gen V" dropped in December 2022 at Comic-Con Experience (CCXP) in São Paulo, Brazil, confirming the show's release in 2023 and teasing guest appearances from cast members of "The Boys."The official synopsis reads: "Welcome to Godolkin University, a safe space for you to thrive. This is your first look at 'Gen V,' 'The Boys' college spin-off series arriving on Prime Video in 2023. Starring Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, Marco Pigossi, Clancy Brown, Alexander Calvert, and Jason Ritter. Also featuring guest appearances from Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, and P.J. Byrne reprising their roles from 'The Boys.'"

What we can expect from 'The Boys' spin-off series, 'Gen V'

It's hard to believe that a song about a corrupt superhero who was murdered from the inside out via an "ass bomb" would get nominated for an Emmy, but that's par for the course for Amazon Prime Video's diabolical drama series "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-boys">The Boys</a>."Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic-book series of the same name, and executive produced by <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/seth-rogen">Seth Rogen</a> and Evan Goldberg, "<keyword id="11916582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-boys" source="Orion">The Boys</keyword>" is a fresh take on the superhero genre that garnered critical acclaim after its premiere in July 2019. <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-season-2-details-references-2020-9">Season two</a>, released in September 2020, doubled down on the show's unapologetic look at a world in which superheroes, known as supes, are owned by a nefarious corporation called Vought International.But before finding a way to top season one's famous dolphin scene - due to <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-amazon-season-2-fun-facts-behind-the-scenes-details">another gory sea creature casualty</a> - the season two premiere opened with <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-erin-moriarty-starlight-suit-challenges-season-two-interview-2020-10">Starlight/Annie January</a> (<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/erin-moriarty">Erin Moriarty</a>) being forced to deliver an award-worthy performance at the funeral for the aforementioned supe, Translucent (Alex Hassell). "The Boys" composer Christopher Lennertz received very clear directions from showrunner and executive producer Eric Kripke before he wrote the song: "He said, 'I need you to write me an Adele-meets-Celine-Dion-meets-Whitney showstopper, over-the-top power ballad," he recalled. The result was "Never Truly Vanish," an unabashedly grandiose song that's equal parts heartfelt and ludicrous in its delivery by Moriarty (yes, that is actually her singing the track).Writer and co-executive producer Michael Saltzman said that's what made the song and accompanying visuals so hilarious - it's the conjunction of how "ridiculous" the production was paired with "the absolute conviction and sincerity with which they're doing the song.""And the writing of the song had to be approached the same way, it's gotta be a legit, authentic song that would be in this situation," Saltzman added.Ahead of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/emmys-2021">73rd Primetime Emmys</a> next month, Lennertz and Saltzman spoke to <a href="https://www.insider.com/">Insider</a> about how Starlight's anthem came together and landed the "The Boys" a <a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-nominees-winners-list-2021-7">nomination</a> for outstanding original music and lyrics.<div type="image" title="Erin Moriarty performing as Starlight on season two of &quot;The Boys.&quot;" height="1184" width="1578" msid="85514232" hostid="261"></div>The idea for Starlight's musical moment started in the writers' room while mapping out season two.Although the show's head writer, Kripke penned the episode, "The Big Ride," Saltzman described the process as "a real group effort" in which all the writers pitched story ideas and contributed to the outlines.Saltzman, who joined the show in its second season after one of his scripts caught Kripke's attention, "dabbled" in songwriting throughout his three decades working in <keyword id="11898468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tv" source="Orion">TV</keyword>. As a fan of the comic-book genre and musicals, the former "Murphy Brown" showrunner was eager to try his hand at writing lyrics for Starlight to sing at Translucent's funeral. "I volunteered to Eric and I said, 'I love writing song lyrics and I have a real take on this if you'd let me do it,'" Saltzman recalled. "He said, 'Yeah, knock yourself out.'"Saltzman's goal was to write the lyrics "with a degree of sincerity and authenticity." "You can't be making fun of the thing you're doing while you're doing it," he said. "You have to write it as if it's a legit version of the song that Celine Dion is going to sing at the 'In Memoriam' segment at the Oscars. It had to have that kind of gravitas to it."One phrase from the writers' room served as the crux for his lyrics: "You'll never truly vanish from our hearts." The phrase was a play on Translucent's power of invisibility, which would inspire other satirical lyrics like: "And though we could see through you, it seems we hardly knew you."Another comic-book character also served as inspiration for Saltzman's lyrics."If Translucent had been a character like Angel in the X-Men with actual wings, 'Wind Beneath My Wings' would have been the perfect song for his memorial," Saltzman said. "That was kind of the template that I had in my head when I was writing."<div type="image" title="Erin Moriarty performing as Starlight on season two of &quot;The Boys.&quot;" height="1190" width="1586" msid="85514234" hostid="261"></div>Lennertz said that he "rolled over laughing" when Kripke, whom he met while studying music at USC, first mentioned the song idea. The composer received the script for the episode approximately six to eight months before they started shooting season two.The direction he got from the showrunner, aside from channeling iconic powerhouse singers, was that it needed to be "ridiculously cheesy, over-the-top, but it also has to be something that Starlight would sing in the modern world. It has to be something that Vought would produce."Because Kripke wanted the song to have lines that seemed serious on first listen, but are far more ridiculous upon closer inspection, Lennetz received a script with lyrics like "our heroes never die" and "your spirit fills the sky.""It's the straighter the better whenever it comes to song parodies like that. And they're hard to do," Lennertz said."It's like a ski jump or something. If you don't commit to it, you're going to hurt yourself, always," he added. "It's one of those things where you've got to just be like, 'No, no, this is what we're doing and we're going to sell it till the very end of it. There's no wink. There's no cracking a smile. It is serious, as serious as can be.'"With Saltzman's ideas and the visuals written into the script, Lennertz began composing "Never Truly Vanish," which took approximately six months mainly because Lennertz had to work around Moriarty's availability and other production factors.Kripke and the "Boys" crew knew that the song was going to begin at the funeral, and would include visuals like young Translucent's bar mitzvah photos showing a floating yarmulke over his invisible head. Starlight would sing to an empty glass casket and the whole setting would feel "extremely patriotic with religious overtones," Saltzman said. Then the scene would cut to The Deep (<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/chace-crawford">Chace Crawford</a>) watching the funeral from a TV in a bar in Sandusky, Ohio. "We had to make sure there were perfect sections in each part of the song so we could make that work in the show," Lennertz said, explaining that the verses needed to compliment Kripke's planned visuals.Additionally, Lennertz said that the song needed to have a "huge bridge moment where she really belts it out and we needed the big drum fill that gets us back into the chorus, which every big power ballad has to have."And that bridge had to be accompanied by Starlight's eyes lighting up as she dramatically raised her glowing hand.<div type="image" title="Erin Moriarty performing as Starlight on season two of &quot;The Boys.&quot;" height="1188" width="1584" msid="85514236" hostid="261"></div>Lennertz said that the final version heard on the show is quite similar to the first demo, sans Moriarty's vocals. After getting Kripke's seal of approval on the demo, which was completed in spring 2019, Lennertz worked with Moriarty to tailor the song to her range. "Everybody wants something to sound the best it can sound," the composer said, adding that no matter how great a vocalist is, "if something's not in their range, it's gonna be terrible.""We've all seen it on TV when some amazing singer sings the National Anthem and it's just one step too high and they can't hit the big note," he explained. "So luckily, Erin was really down with the entire approach."Lennertz determined the top of Moriarty's range over the phone as he played the piano. Then he adjusted the key to fit her vocal ability. After Moriarty rehearsed the song and minor adjustments were made to accommodate room for breathing and other aspects, it was time for her to record."When Erin finally came in to sing, it was where it all sort of came together and everyone went, 'Oh, this is special,'" said Lennertz, describing the recording process as "magical." <div type="image" title="Erin Moriarty performing as Starlight on season two of &quot;The Boys.&quot;" height="1196" width="1594" msid="85514237" hostid="261"></div>Moriarty had never been in a recording studio prior to singing "Never Truly Vanish" so there was some skepticism about whether she'd be able to fully deliver. Any doubts were squashed when the actress began recording. "It took two minutes, literally. And she was like, 'All right, let's go,'" Lennertz remembered. "She got in the booth and she absolutely sold the concept just like she did on-screen and said, 'I'm going to commit to this.'""Within 10 minutes she was fully acting the part and singing to the microphone as if she was Whitney Houston or Adele," he added. "She just jumped right in and nailed it. We were giddy."Lennertz said the rough mix of Moriarty's vocals on the track proved to everyone "that it was going to work" musically and within the context of the show. "Eric played it for us after it had been recorded and everyone kind of looked around and went, 'Wow, this is amazing. Who's doing the vocals?' And he was like, 'Erin is,'" Saltzman recalled. "She blew us all away."Kripke decided that they needed a bigger stage and larger auditorium for the funeral because of how grand the song turned out, Lennertz said. By the time they were ready to film the scene, all Moriarty had to do was lip-sync and channel all the emotions that she brought in the studio. "My jaw was on the floor when I finally saw what they shot," Lennertz added. "I was like, 'This is better than it read in the script.' And it read great in the script." That led to making a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw_OHwI5dUQ">black-and-white music video,</a> starring Moriarty's character, surrounded by a bunch of invisible dancers. "It's just such a ridiculous idea," Lennertz said. "Eric and I always talk about the fact that they literally are paying us to be this ridiculous is just... We never would have thought of this when we were sitting in film school together."<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>The brilliance of "Never Truly Vanish" lies in how comically serious the song is, but it's also a precursor to Starlight's season two journey.When viewers first met her, she was a starry-eyed supe who wanted to save the world with her ability to absorb electricity and emit energy blasts. So when she earned a coveted spot in the prestigious Vought-run supes group, known as The Seven, Starlight thought she hit the jackpot.The illusion was quickly shattered when she realized that her colleagues were far from the clean-cut heroes that they pretended to be in public. On her first day as part of the Seven, she was sexually assaulted by The Deep. When she went to cry in the bathroom afterward, Translucent was lurking inside and misusing his power of invisibility to spy on women.Throughout the season, Starlight would toe the line between her duty to Vought and her desire to make a real difference with the help of The Boys, a rag-tag vigilante group that includes her love interest, Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid). <div type="image" title="the boys 203 starlight" height="1089" width="1452" msid="85514239" hostid="261"></div>Starlight's previous experiences, along with being forced to perform a tribute to a perverted supe at the opening of season two, set the stage for her to <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-erin-moriarty-starlight-dark-side-season-2-interview-2020-10">summon "a dark side of herself,"</a> Moriarty previously told Insider. "It was always going to be a Starlight moment," Lennertz said of "Never Truly Vanish.""One of the things they really wanted it to do was comment on the fact that she made a huge transition from the beginning of season one to the end of season one," he continued, "both with her relationship with Hughie and with her empowerment of 'I'm not going to take s--- anymore.'""And here was this guy Translucent, who she knew was this creep that used to hang out in the bathroom. And the real honest truth about Vought is, 'That's too bad. You gotta sing this thing because you're part of The Seven and we pay your salary.' It's that gross over-commercialization, sellout thing that had to be in there to set up the rest of season two."Historically, superhero series and movies have largely been shut out of major award shows. In recent years that's changed thanks to groundbreaking projects like "Black Panther," which earned Marvel its first three Oscars in 2019.In its freshman season, "The Boys" nabbed one Emmy nomination, for outstanding sound editing for a comedy or drama series (one hour). By the time the show returned for season two, more people caught onto its <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-aya-cash-colby-minifie-season-2-racism-interview-2020-10">clever commentary on real-world events</a> and ability to completely flip the superhero genre on its head.Barack Obama even <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CI8RF86AxVo/">named "The Boys" as one of his favorite shows of last year</a> and told <a href="https://ew.com/books/barack-obama-a-promised-land-interview/">Entertainment Weekly</a> that he watched the series when he needed a break from writing his memoir, "A Promised Land.""When President Obama singled the show out as one of his favorite of the year that blew my mind," Saltzman said, calling "The Boys" a "zeitgeist show" that's become part of the larger "cultural conversation."<div type="image" title="the boys season 2 supes" height="1233" width="2500" msid="85514240" hostid="261"></div>Given the continued reach of "The Boys," the five total Emmy nominations this year weren't out of the blue. Still, Lennertz said it was a "total shocker" to those involved in the making of the show."All of us just assume that superhero shows aren't going to get award nominations because they haven't in the past," Lennertz said.In addition to the nomination for "Never Truly Vanish," the series got a nod for drama series and was recognized in categories honoring sound mixing, special visual effects, and writing.Saltzman admitted he was completely clueless about how best song nominations work because he had never written anything that had a shot at one. In fact, he wasn't even planning on waking up early for the Emmy nominations, since he didn't expect much from them. But when his wife came into their bedroom that morning, he had exciting news to share."She saw me sitting up in there and she goes, 'Oh, you're up?' I said, 'Yeah. Hey, guess what I have in common with Robert Lopez and Bo Burnham?' And she said, 'What?' I said, 'That we're all Emmy nominees for best song. And she was like, 'What?'" he recalled with a laugh."It was a huge thrill to be in that company. And such a delightful surprise."For fans who enjoyed Starlight's "Never Truly Vanish" and speedster A-Train's "lit" anthem "Faster" (performed by actor Jessie T. Usher, featuring Aimée Proal) from season two, Lennertz said "there's a lot of songs" in the <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-season-3-amazon-details-information-2020-9">upcoming third season</a> - but he didn't reveal who will be singing. "I can't tell anybody what they are or how many, but Eric did let everybody know that there would be more supes singing this year," he said. "I'm really excited about who's singing those."The composer added: "What we haven't done yet is a duet and I would love to do a duet. That's all I can say."<div type="image" title="the boys 202 a train starlight" height="1505" width="2007" msid="85514242" hostid="261"></div>For Lennertz, getting to work with Kripke for nearly 30 years and compose original tracks for the characters of "The Boys" is a full-circle moment that makes the recent Emmy nomination even more rewarding."It was like somebody handed me the job that I didn't even know I wanted five years ago," he said. "And now I've got my dear friend being like, 'Hey, do it for us and let's have fun with it and go over the top.'""I will keep writing as many songs for Eric as he wants me to write."

A deep dive into Starlight's unabashedly over-the-top, Emmy-nominated power anthem 'Never Truly Vanish' from 'The Boys'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Warning: There are spoilers ahead for season two of <keyword id="2976376" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime-Video">Amazon Prime Video</keyword>'s "<keyword id="9349764" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-boys">The Boys</keyword>."</li><li>"The Boys" star <keyword id="1693149" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Erin-Moriarty">Erin Moriarty</keyword> (Starlight/Annie January) spoke to Insider about how her character's experiences during season one shaped her mindset on season two. </li><li>Moriarty told us that Starlight came to the realization that she had to "summon a strength inside her she didn't know existed" in order to adapt to the world she's now part of as a member of The Seven. </li><li>The actress added that Starlight "is still on track to attain her mission of making the world a better place."</li><li>But her methods to reach that goal have changed, as fans see on season two. </li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-boys">"The Boys"</a> star <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/erin-moriarty">Erin Moriarty</a> opened up about how her superhero character Starlight (aka Annie January) "summons a dark side of herself" on season two of the hit <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/amazon-prime-video">Amazon Prime Video</a> show."I think she's adapting to this world that she's been inducted into that she had no idea would be like this," Moriarty told <a href="https://www.insider.com/">Insider</a>.Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, all Annie wanted was to save the world. She solved local crimes, competed in superhero pageants, and attended the bible camp, Capes for Christ. Her whole reason for auditioning to be part of The Seven, a prestigious "supe" group that's run by Vought International, was to carry out this mission of saving others with her supposedly God-given superpowers.While Annie was initially thrilled to join The Seven, she quickly learned that her colleagues are far from the moral figures they pretend to be in public."I think that she kind of came to this point of having to figure out whether she was going to give up and be defeated by it, because it really is just not the world she expected, or summon a strength inside her she didn't know existed," Moriarity said.<div type="image" title="the boys 205 stormfront starlight queen maeve" height="1055" width="1407" msid="78500110" hostid="261"></div>After being inducted into the group, Starlight was sexually assaulted by another supe called The Deep (<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/chace-crawford">Chace Crawford</a>). She learns in season two that she wasn't born with her powers, but her mother worked with Vought to give her an experimental superhero-making drug called Compound V as a baby.And the one person who she thought she could count on, Hughie Campbell (<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jack-quaid">Jack Quaid</a>), lied to her on multiple occasions."I think that the end of season one and what happens to her in terms of her heartbreak with Hughie and the heartbreak that she experiences with her mother as well as going through sexual abuse in season one, I do think adversity builds character and strength," Moriarty told Insider.<div type="image" title="the boys 205 starlight 8" height="921" width="1229" msid="78500113" hostid="261"></div>Throughout season two, Starlight's character arc is much darker. She blackmails an old bible school friend and supe so she can get a sample of Compound V and threatens new Seven member Stormfront (Aya Cash). She even teams up with The Boys for missions and accidentally kills a man with her energy blast."Maybe once I would have cried over him, but now he was just another person in our way," Starlight says of the man who she unintentionally killed during episode six.Moriarty said that Starlight's evolution this season is a byproduct of the experiences and revelations from season one. Plus, her character is no longer the starry-eyed girl from the Midwest who thought that supes were admirable people. "I think that by the end of season one, she has, through adversity, built enough strength to be able to adapt to the world and rewire her way of thinking so that she is still on track to attain her mission of making the world a better place," Moriarty told us."But the means by which she achieves that mission has to change and she deals with it. She adapts. She summons a dark side of herself," she added."The Boys," which is based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic-book series, debuted on Amazon in July 2019 to rave reviews. Season two of "The Boys" kicked off in early September and concludes with a finale dropping on Friday.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-erin-moriarty-starlight-suit-challenges-season-two-interview-2020-10">'The Boys' star Erin Moriarty says it never gets easier to get into her Starlight costume</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-karen-fukuhara-kimiko-sign-language-season-2-interview-2020-10">'The Boys' star Karen Fukuhara talks about creating Kimiko's 'powerful' sign language on season 2</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-aya-cash-colby-minifie-season-2-racism-interview-2020-10">'The Boys' stars Aya Cash and Colby Minifie talk about the real-world events shaping season 2</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/the-boys-season-2-details-references-2020-9">44 details you might have missed on season 2 of 'The Boys,' so far</a></li></ul>

'The Boys' star Erin Moriarty says Starlight 'summons a dark side of herself' on season 2

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Hello! Tax season is approaching, and the IRS has a new pilot program that lets you file your taxes for free. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/direct-file-free-tax-filing-best-tech-product-2024-1">Here's the rundown on Direct File</a>.In today's big story, we're looking at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-earnings-preview-questions-streaming-wars-enter-new-phase-2024-1">what to expect ahead of Netflix's big earnings report</a>.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: UBS, and <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-melt-up-1990s-record-highs-interest-rate-cuts-2024-1">a market vet</a>, make the case for <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-sp500-crash-recession-inflation-russia-china-israel-2024-1">how things could go south for stocks</a>.</li><li>Tech: Tesla has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tesla-should-be-worried-this-year-morgan-stanley-adam-jonas-2024-1">at least seven reasons it should be worried</a>, according to Morgan Stanley.</li><li>Business: Gen Z men and women <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-gender-gap-young-men-women-dont-agree-politics-2024-1">are not on the same page</a>.</li></ul>But first, Netflix and chill?If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h2>The big story</h2><h3>The king of streaming</h3><div type="image" title="stranger things season 3 netflix" height="1250" width="2500" msid="107088767" hostid="261" sizebytes="90782"></div>Netflix's ups and downs over the past two years resemble the drama you'd expect in one of its shows.The streamer's stock hit a record high in the fall of 2021 amid the pandemic boom. But it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-says-password-sharing-is-hurting-growth-amid-subscriber-loss-2022-4">bled subscribers</a> in the first half of 2022, causing its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-stock-what-is-next-after-crash-earnings-price-prediction-2022-4">share price to crater roughly 70%</a>.It's battled back, partly thanks to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-password-sharing-crackdown-has-been-a-huge-success-data-2023-8">a successful password-sharing ban</a>. And as other streamers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-insiders-questions-after-prime-video-mgm-layoffs-sports-advertising-2024-1">scramble to figure out long-term business plans</a>, Netflix has been crowned the winner of the streaming wars thus far.But Monday marked another shocking plot twist for the streamer with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-movie-studio-chief-scott-stuber-just-left-why-2024-1">the departure of Scott Stuber,</a> the chairman of Netflix Films. Stuber, who reportedly plans to start his own production company, was behind the streamer's high-profile push into producing films.Most analysts are bullish on Netflix ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings report, which will drop after today's market close. More than 63% maintain a "buy" rating on the stock for the upcoming 12 months, while another 28% recommend a "hold," according to data from Bloomberg's terminal.But the good times <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-earnings-preview-questions-streaming-wars-enter-new-phase-2024-1">might not last forever</a>, Business Insider's Lucia Moses reports. Netflix's ads business still has a ways to go <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-top-salespeople-advertising-team-jeremi-gorman-peter-naylor-2023-5">after a leadership shake-up</a>. That'll be key, as advertising is positioned to be a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-disney-streamers-plan-big-advertising-sales-push-ces-2023-12">big focus of streamers this year</a>.The competition isn't letting up, either. From Disney to TikTok, there's no shortage of places to be entertained. And <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/predict-mergers-acquisitions-hollywood-dealmaking-after-strikes-2023-10">if dealmaking picks up</a>, one tie-up could tip the fortune toward one of Netflix's rivals.<div type="image" title="Chart showing monthly streaming service churn" height="460" width="651" msid="107088769" hostid="261" sizebytes="26748"></div>Netflix's success isn't just in the size of its audience — nearly 250 million total subscribers — but its stickiness.The streamer's churn rate, or ratio of people who cancel their subscriptions compared to those who stay, is roughly 2%, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-wins-streaming-wars-this-chart-shows-why-2024-1">well below the rest of the industry</a>, Business Insider's Peter Kafka writes.Churn is a particularly relevant statistic these days, Peter reports, as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/more-users-cancelling-streaming-subscriptions-prices-increase-netflix-disney-amazon-2024-1">more users are canceling subscriptions</a> following a spate of price hikes.So what's Netflix doing to keep people around?I previously wrote about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/streaming-services-ranked-netflix-hulu-disney-max-peacock-paramount-apple-2023-8">what makes the big streamers stand out</a>. For Netflix, there's an element of first-mover advantage. It was many people's introduction to streaming subscription services.The size of the library also helps. Netflix is so big it even has shows from other streamers, a sign of how ubiquitous it has become.For me, however, Netflix's secret sauce is its consistency.A lot of the best things I saw last year — from "Saltburn" to "Succession" to "The Bear" — were on rival streamers. But when looking for something to watch, I instinctually start with Netflix. It's usually good for something interesting at least every few weeks. These days, it's "American Nightmare."That keeps me — and my credit card — secured. (At least for now.)<h2>3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="Traders at Computer Terminals in Goldman Sachs Office in 1999." height="2726" width="4038" msid="107088770" hostid="261" sizebytes="425986"></div>1. The downsides to all-time highs. The market is booming, but UBS sees a scenario, potentially due to inflation or geopolitical turmoil, that <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-sp500-crash-recession-inflation-russia-china-israel-2024-1">could send the S&amp;P 500 plummeting 23%</a>. One market vet outlined how everything going so well could lead to a melt-up situation where <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-melt-up-1990s-record-highs-interest-rate-cuts-2024-1">inflated valuations burst</a>.2. One hedge fund to rule them all. Ken Griffin's Citadel generated $8.1 billion in gains for investors in 2023, helping to extend its lead as the world's most profitable hedge fund, according to data from LCH Investments. The firm's $74 billion in all-time gains is nearly $20 billion more than the funds tied for second all-time (D.E. Shaw and Millennium). <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/citadel-generates-top-profits-for-investors-memo-lch-investments-2024-1">Here's the memo Griffin sent to his team about the news</a>.3. BlackRock says investors need a whole new playbook these days. A note from the world's largest money manager said geopolitical volatility is here to stay. <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-geopolitics-red-sea-attacks-inflation-trade-globalization-2024-1">The new landscape is riskier and less predictable</a>.<h2>3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="santa monica" height="1411" width="2125" msid="107088772" hostid="261" sizebytes="261806"></div>1. The Los Angeles tech scene is falling further behind NYC, Boston, and other areas. LA's tech scene surged during the Covid era. But investors have recently been enamored by generative AI — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/has-the-la-tech-scene-stalled-ai-2024-1">which isn't LA's strong suit</a>.2. How much do TikTok employees make? Data shows just <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-employee-salary-levels-data-scientist-engineer-jobs">how much TikTok workers can earn</a> in different jobs: data scientists, software engineers, and more. They make anywhere from $29 an hour to $455,600 a year.3. The EV industry needs to tread carefully. Morgan Stanley just issued <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tesla-should-be-worried-this-year-morgan-stanley-adam-jonas-2024-1">seven reasons Tesla should be worried</a>. Plus, Stellantis' CEO — the parent of Peugeot, Chrysler, Dodge, and other major automakers — warned of an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stellantis-ceo-warns-of-bloodbath-in-tesla-price-war-2024-1">industry-wide "bloodbath"</a> if companies engage in Tesla's price war.<h2>3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="Two Gen Z individuals walking away from one another" height="1500" width="2000" msid="107088773" hostid="261" sizebytes="250184"></div>1. Young people are rapidly growing more and more divided by gender. It's a strange phenomenon that suggests <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-gender-gap-young-men-women-dont-agree-politics-2024-1">something more significant is going on</a>. Young women are steadily becoming much more liberal, while young men are not.2. CHARTS: These charts show how much traffic has plunged in the Suez and Panama canals and its economic impact. Freight costs are going up now that vessels are rerouting and taking longer journeys. The charts also illustrate <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-fed-rate-cuts-red-sea-attacks-panama-canal-shipping-2024-1">the shipping routes' potential impact on inflation</a>.3. Building an AI equivalent of a senior analyst. Balyasny Asset Management is building a series of AI-based bots that can proactively do the work of senior analysts. They're designed to help investment teams work more efficiently by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/balyasny-hedge-fund-ai-proactive-analysis-bots-2024-1">automating grunt work</a>.<h2>In other news</h2><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-hampshire-republican-primary-what-you-need-to-know-2024-1">Everything you need to know about the 2024 New Hampshire Republican primary</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shein-temu-de-minimis-tax-loophole-scrutiny-2024-1">Shein and Temu use a loophole to ship millions of packages to the US tax-free. Here's why the tax rule faces increased scrutiny</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/centerbook-partners-hedge-fund-using-other-firms-to-invest-2024-1">Meet CenterBook Partners, the hedge fund powered by intel from dozens of other managers</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elevenlabs-ai-voice-cloning-startup-confirms-unicorn-valuation-2024-1">AI voice cloning startup ElevenLabs confirms $1.1 billion valuation after it closes third funding round in year</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eric-johnson-mayor-says-californians-moving-texas-big-reasons-2024-1">Of course Californians are pouring into Texas, the mayor of Dallas said. The state has the 2 things everyone wants</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-outlook-economy-markets-downturn-investors-finance-fed-interest-rates-2024-1">A year ago most economists expected a recession. Now 91% say otherwise</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-probably-will-not-take-your-job-just-yet-2024-1/">This MIT study says AI won't take my job. But it doesn't make me feel too sure that AI won't take my job.</a></li></ul><h2>What's happening today</h2><ul><li>Oscar nominations come out today. Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid will announce them live.</li><li>National Baseball Hall of Fame election results will be shared. They'll be announced on the MLB Network.</li><li>Earnings today: Netflix, Procter &amp; Gamble, General Electric, Verizon, <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">and other companies</a>.</li></ul><h2>For your bookmarks</h2>Boost your gut health<div type="image" title="Vegetables in a rainbow" height="1414" width="2120" msid="107088776" hostid="261" sizebytes="590524"></div>A top nutrition scientist shared five simple ways he keeps his gut healthy. His <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boost-improve-gut-health-simple-effective-methods-2024-1">top gut-health tips</a> include giving your gut a rest and having a bit of fermented food every day.The Insider Today teamDan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hayley Hudson, director, in Edinburgh. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.Get in touch<a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="insider-today-blue-link" href="mailto:insidertoday@insider.com">insidertoday@insider.com</a>To read unlimited articles, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription">subscribe</a> to Business Insider.

Netflix is the king of streaming. But can it last? 

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>"The Boys" comic artist and cocreator Darick Robertson spoke to Business Insider about the history of the source material behind Amazon's new hit TV series of the same name.</li><li>"The Boys" comic launched at DC's Wildstorm imprint in 2006, but was canceled after six issues despite strong sales.</li><li>"If you look at the original first issue of 'The Boys,' it was peppered with ads for Batman and other stuff," Robertson said. "I don't think they realized just how hard of a punch Garth [Ennis, the other cocreator] and I were going to land."</li><li>Robertson said Ennis had a five-year plan for the series and knew how it would end. Fortunately, it&#xa0; was quickly renewed by Dynamite Entertainment weeks after it was canceled.</li><li>Then Hollywood took notice. But "The Boys'" long journey to the screen was just as rocky.</li><li>"It's the way Hollywood works," Robertson said. "Having an option is lovely, but it doesn't mean a project will go forward. So we got our hearts broken a few times."</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/the-boys">"The Boys"</a> is a hit for Amazon Prime Video, which announced earlier this month that the series is one of the platform's most watched shows ever. But the new superhero TV series wouldn't exist if its source material hadn't been saved from an early cancellation."The Boys" comic book ran for 72 issues from 2006 to 2012. It was created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, who had previously collaborated on "The Punisher Max" and had made names for themselves individually in the industry with such works as "Preacher" and "Transmetropolitan," respectively.Robertson told Business Insider during an interview Monday that "The Boys" was originally going to be set within the DC Comics universe that includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more.But the book's irreverent premise - a group of government operatives keep a check on superheroes who abuse their powers - didn't quite mesh with the colorful and heroic adventures at DC. So Ennis and Robertson created their own group of "heroes" that satirized preexisting ones, such as the alien Homelander (think Superman) and the super-speedster A-Train (think The Flash).<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>"We decided that it wouldn't work if we tried to be too subtle about what the gag would be," Robertson said. "I like the DC characters very much. I see a very distinct line between our characters and theirs. If you have the costume and the power but none of the character, you still don't have Superman's greatest power, which is self control. Homelander doesn't even take the costume off. And that reveals a lot.""The Boys" launched at Wildstorm, a DC Comics imprint founded by DC's now-copublisher Jim Lee that was set outside of the normal DC universe. Ennis and Robertson could tell their own story without sullying the reputation of DC's flagship characters.READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-boys-showrunner-eric-kripke-interview-trump-me-too-amazon-2019-7">How Amazon's new superhero TV show, 'The Boys,' was shaped by Trump, Me Too, and 'sweet, sweet Bezos money'</a>When the series was released, though, things changed."The problem was that Wildstorm was still a sub-company of DC Comics," Robertson said. "If you look at the original first issue of 'The Boys', it was peppered with ads for Batman and other stuff. I don't think they realized just how hard of a punch Garth and I we're going to land ... I think it made people nervous that we were doing such a raunchy book that was advertising other DC properties."And it was indeed raunchy. The first issue of "The Boys" featured graphic language, sex, and violence that would become hallmarks of the series.&#xa0;<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><h2>The Boys are saved</h2>"The Boys" was canceled six issues into its run, despite strong sales."The comic was as big a hit as the show is now," Robertson said. "For the world of comics, we were doing quite well. It was selling out. It was a weird time in the industry where it would sound like a laughable number now, but it was good then, especially for a creator-owned, mature book."&#xa0;Robertson said that DC would continue publishing the book if the subject matter were toned down, or it would offer it back to Ennis and Robertson for them to take it somewhere else.Toning it down wasn't an option."It was a gracious way to solve the problem," Robertson said. "In another scenario, it could have been a nightmare and the book could have died."Robertson said that Ennis knew from the beginning how the series would end and had a five-year plan. But they suddenly had nowhere to go with their story."I had just bought a home, I had two children," he said. "I had set up the next five years just to do this book, so I didn't know what to do."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>The feeling didn't last long. Living in California and now out of work, Robertson took his family to Disneyland for a weekend after the cancellation in January 2007. The following Monday, his phone blew up."Everyone had found out we were canceled and every publisher I knew in the business was calling us saying they wanted the book," Robertson recalled. "It was amazing. We just wanted to make sure we ended up at the place where we had the most control."Dynamite Entertainment ended up being that place. Mere weeks after the cancellation, the company announced it would renew "The Boys." It returned that May with issue seven and Dynamite quickly released a collection of the first six issues."That's another reason we parted with DC was because they were reluctant to publish the trade paperback, and that's where the bread and butter is," Robertson said. "Dynamite got that out immediately and it was the number one trade paperback as soon as it hit. It sold out and immediately went to a second printing."That's when Hollywood came calling.<h2>'The comic and the film property followed similar lives'</h2>By 2008, producer Neal Moritz, known for the "Fast and Furious" franchise, took notice of the book's popularity. Robertson said Mortiz championed a film adaptation and shopped the project around to studios for years."I learned the hard way that getting an option is easy and getting something made is not," Robertson said. "It's the way Hollywood works. Having an option is lovely, but it doesn't mean a project will go forward. So we got our hearts broken a few times, especially because the people that were coming on board were wonderful."One of those people was Adam McKay, who was then known for directing "Anchorman" and has since directed Oscar-nominated movies "The Big Short" and "Vice."&#xa0;Columbia Pictures was originally on board <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/columbia-drops-the-boys-adaptation-289381?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">and then ditched the project</a>. Paramount picked it up in 2012, but it never went forward there, either. A big-budget R-rated deconstruction of the superhero genre proved to be a hard sell."Everyone was terrified of it," Robertson said. "It's funny, because the comic and the film property followed similar lives. McKay was on board and we were sure it would happen any day, but we just couldn't get any studio to give the green light. For me it would be life-changing so I just kept hoping it would happen, and it never did."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Flash forward seven years and "The Boys" has finally found a new home at Amazon, just on the small screen instead of the big screen. But even the TV series faced a climb.Showrunner <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-boys-showrunner-eric-kripke-interview-trump-me-too-amazon-2019-7">Eric Kripke told Business Insider</a> last month ahead of the show's premiere that it was originally set up at Cinemax, but the company dropped it because it was too expensive. Then Amazon swooped in with what Kripke called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-the-boys-creator-eric-kripke-on-jeff-bezos-money-2019-8">"that sweet, sweet Bezos money."</a>"There's a lot of production value, but in the same respect, there's never enough money," Kripke said. "We didn't have anything close to a 'Game of Thrones' budget or anything like that. We're not even half of what that number would be. But when you don't have all the money in the world, you get there through blood and tears."And "The Boys" TV show has already avoided the temporary fate of the comic. There will be no early cancellation. Amazon renewed the series for a second season before season one even debuted.&#xa0;<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more of Business Insider's coverage of "The Boys"</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-boys-showrunner-eric-kripke-interview-trump-me-too-amazon-2019-7">How Amazon's new superhero TV show, 'The Boys,' was shaped by Trump, Me Too, and 'sweet, sweet Bezos money'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-amazons-the-boys-got-simon-pegg-to-join-cast-2019-7">How 'The Boys,' landed Simon Pegg and fulfilled the wish of fans of the comic book</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-me-too-movement-changed-amazons-the-boys-2019-7">How the Me Too movement changed 'The Boys'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-the-boys-creator-eric-kripke-on-jeff-bezos-money-2019-8">How Amazon's new superhero TV show, 'The Boys,' was saved by 'that sweet, sweet Bezos money'</a></li></ul><div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quentin-tarantino-once-upon-time-hollywood-details-you-missed-2019-7">39 details you may have missed in Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

How 'The Boys' comic book survived cancellation and inspired Amazon's new hit superhero TV series

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Amazon Prime Video"The Boys."</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Amazon's upcoming mature superhero TV series, "The Boys," based on the comic of the same name, premieres Friday, July 26.</li><li>Showrunner Eric Kripke talked to Business Insider about the show's four-year development, and how he and his team adapted to Donald Trump's election and the Me Too movement.</li><li>Kripke said that the female producers insisted that the show include a moment of sexual assault from the comic because they'd "all experienced a version of it to varying degrees in our careers."</li><li>Kripke said that he originally pitched the series to Cinemax, which ultimately didn't move forward because it was too expensive. So he was happy with the "Bezos money" once the show landed at Amazon.</li><li>He also discussed how actor Simon Pegg, who a character from the comic is modeled after, got a role on the show.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Warning: This post contains mild spoilers for "The Boys."Amazon's "The Boys" is an absurd superhero show, but it had plenty of real-world inspirations."A couple weeks in, we all looked at each other and said, 'Jesus Christ, I think we could be making one of the most current shows on TV,'" showrunner Eric Kripke told Business Insider. "It became endlessly relevant the more we explored.""The Boys," which premieres on Prime Video Friday, July 26, and is co-created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, follows a group of mercenaries tasked with reeling in superheroes who abuse their powers. In the world of "The Boys" - based on the Dynamite Entertainment comic of the same name by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson - superheroes are not only ego-driven maniacs, but they're owned by the corporation Vought, which exploits and merchandises their star power.READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hulu-the-act-cocreator-nick-antosca-interview-true-crime-streaming-2019-7">Hulu's 'The Act' cocreator on how streaming TV has changed the true crime genre, and his thoughts on a potential season 2</a>The show centers on Hughie Campbell (played by Jack Quaid), who is recruited by the nefarious Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) for his team called The Boys after a tragedy involving a superhero.Kripke talked to Business Insider about the show's relevance in an entertainment industry increasingly dominated by the superhero genre, and how its themes evolved over the course of the show's four-year development. In 2015, Ennis told Kripke that, when writing the comic, he was interested in "what would happen if you combined the worst of celebrity with the worst of politics.""I thought it was a crazy, far-fetched idea that would never happen," Kripke said.Kripke also discussed how Amazon's "sweet, sweet Bezos money" changed the show, and how actor Simon Pegg, who has a special relationship to the comic book, got involved.This interview contains mild spoilers for "The Boys." It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Amazon Prime VideoKarl Urban as Billy Butcher</div></div></div>Travis Clark: "The Boys" is not only a satire of superheroes, but the show seems like a satire on our consumption of superhero entertainment. Is that how you viewed it? How did you want to tackle this story in terms of adapting it for a TV show? Eric Kripke: When Seth, Evan, and I first approached it, we were just interested in taking the pi-- out of superheroes and deconstructing that myth - seeing what superheroes would be like in the real world. And then the deeper I got into it with my writers and the more we discussed it, we kept looking at each other with this growing excitement. A couple weeks in, we all looked at each other and said, "Jesus Christ, I think we could be making one of the most current shows on TV." It became endlessly relevant the more we explored.It's about the intersection of celebrity and politics, which is a big issue we're dealing with today. It's about how people in power, corporations, politicians, and celebrities use social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> to manipulate the common person into acting against their own self interest. It's about professional athletes and contracts. It's about privatized policing. International relations. Media consumption. How autocrats are sneaking their way into American society and using entertainment to do it. And it's about superheroes. So we couldn't believe how relevant it all was. We were pleasantly surprised as anybody.You start these things years ago and you can never predict if they'll reflect society as they're coming out and I think this one is.Clark: How long have you been developing "The Boys" for? Has it taken shape according to what's happening in the real world?Kripke: When I first came on board it was 2015, so Trump wasn't elected yet. So the idea of celebrities taking over politics and Kim Kardashian going to the White House lobbying for a prisoner's release would have been considered completely far fetched. I had dinner with the comic's author, Garth Ennis, and asked him what inspired him to make the comic. He said he was interested in what would happen if you combined the worst of celebrity with the worst of politics and how bad that would f--- over the common guy. And even then, in 2015, I thought it was a crazy, far-fetched idea that would never happen.Clark: Then Trump happened.Kripke: Right, then Trump happened, and we were in the middle of writing the pilot and it evolved. And then we got picked up to a series and Me Too happened, which caused us to take a harder look at this moment of sexual assault we have in the story.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Amazon Prime VideoErin Moriarty as Annie January/Starlight</div></div></div>Clark: Yeah, there's obviously some very graphic sexual situations in the comic, and I was wondering how you thought about adapting that stuff for the show after the Me Too movement.Kripke: From the beginning, we always had a lot of female producers. One of the first questions we discussed when taking the project is: Are we going to do the moment when Starlight is sexually assaulted? And even this was a year or so before the Me Too movement. I was nervous. I thought it might be too far. But every female producer on the show said, "You have to do it, because we've all experienced a version of it to varying degrees in our careers." And I said, "All of you?" And they said, "All of us."I was horrified. But the books play it out as shocking and I said, if we're going to adapt it, let's present it with the greatest responsibility and present it as the horror movie that it is. There was a lot of debate, balancing, and angst right up until shooting. When Erin Moriarty [who plays Starlight/Annie January] came on board the show, we had a long conversation with her about it. We polled everybody because we wanted to make sure we were getting it right. I was nervous as s---! It's the most serious thing I've ever done. So I wanted to get it right.The original storyline in the middle of the season was that Starlight would get payback on The Deep [who assaults her] through behind-the-scenes ways inside the corporation [Vought]. The women in the room said she can't go public. We don't live in a world where she's allowed to go public. We were in the middle of writing it all and then the Me Too movement happened. We revised the whole storyline. Now she has recourse and the ability to go public.Clark: As we were saying, this show captures a bunch of themes, but they all fall back on superheroes. What are your thoughts on the superhero genre's domination of entertainment? Did that inform this show?Kripke: I'm a fan of those movies. I go see every Marvel movie. I definitely don't look down on them. They're amazing and funny and well written. But the myth has expanded and when any myth gets as big as the superhero one currently is, it's interesting to me to look at it with a critical eye and deconstruct it a bit. Ultimately, superheroes are a lie, because we're all f---ed and selfish people. There's no reason to think that if we were suddenly handed superpowers that we would become noble. There's every reason to think that we would still be f---ed up, insecure people, just with superpowers [laughs]. And therefore very dangerous. So our rule in the writers' room was trying to apply the most stringent reality to the myth of superheroes. When you do that you start finding all of these moments of absurdity. Like how ridiculous it is to talk to fish, for example. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Dynamite EntertainmentThe comic's Hughie, front, was modeled after actor Simon Pegg, who plays Hughie's dad in Amazon's TV adaptation.</div></div></div>Clark: In the comics, the Hughie character is modeled after actor Simon Pegg [who plays Hughie's dad in the TV show]. How did Pegg become involved in the show? How'd you pitch him and was he aware of the comic beforehand?Kripke: He's friendly with [artist] Darick Robertson, who drew Hughie [in the comic] to look exactly like Simon Pegg. I think that's how they got to know each other. So he's always been very aware of "The Boys." Obviously, he would get the question a lot, if he would play Hughie in an adaptation of "The Boys." And throughout the years, he would say it would be great. Then I found some interviews where he'd say he's aging out of it, but he thinks he should play Hughie's dad. That's where I got the idea.Clark: So he was all in.Kripke: My casting director reached out to his representatives and said, "'The Boys' has been greenlit. I don't know if Simon was serious about playing Hughie's dad, but if he wants the role, it's his." And to his incredible credit, he jumped at it. He was traveling the world doing press for "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" [last year] so he was busy. But he took time out of his schedule to play this role. I think he did it for no other reason than to pay a debt he felt he owed to the book and fans of the book. It shows how much he cares about genre fans that he's willing to do that. He has my incredible respect for that.READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-sonja-producers-interview-on-development-netflix-bryan-singer-2019-7" data-analytics-position="6">'Red Sonja' producers on the movie's turbulent 7-year journey, from considering Netflix to the sexual misconduct allegations against Bryan Singer</a>Clark: Was there anything from the comic that you absolutely knew you wanted to keep or change?Kripke: We knew we would have to adjust the story because the formats are different. The comic structure is very procedural and episodic. Every couple issues there's a new mystery. It would almost work if CBS were rated X. You could adapt it page for page. But with the format of streaming, they want you to be able to binge the show. The medium itself demands serialized storytelling to last over eight hours. So we remixed elements of the story that we loved. We talked about elements that we definitely wanted to see and we folded it into a mystery that twists and turns over the eight episodes. When I had that dinner [in 2015] with Garth, I asked him what inspired him to write [the comic]. And he said one of the things he was inspired by was [crime novelist] James Elroy and [his 1990 novel] "L.A. Confidential," and hard men doing hard things. So that inspired the structure of season one, where it's sort of a "L.A. Confidential" mystery. It starts in one place and twists and turns into a much larger mystery. What was important to us, and what Garth said from the beginning, is to just get the spirit of the story and the characters right. Clark: You mentioned streaming, so I'm curious how its development at Amazon came about. Why was it the right place for a show like this?Kripke: Originally, we set it up at Cinemax. That's who we sold the pitch to and wrote the first script for. Then they said it was way beyond their budget. To their credit, they let it go. They didn't develop a watered-down version. They just couldn't afford it. But around that time [two to three years ago], Amazon seemed like a perfect fit. They had the appetite to make something noisy and different. Up to that point, I think their taste had skewed fairly indie, and they wanted something edgy that still appealed to a broader audience. We were a perfect fit and checked all the boxes. And we were happy because they have that sweet, sweet Bezos money [laughs]. Then we just kept developing more scripts and they picked us up for the season. Clark: What was the budget like? Kripke: I can't give you specific numbers, but it's larger than any budget I've certainly worked with. There's a lot of production value, but in the same respect, there's never enough money. I think we have mostly movie-level effects and that didn't come from all the money in the world to spend. That came from visual-effects supervisors driving the visual-effects companies nuts with 30 or 40 versions of every single shot until we got it exactly how we wanted it. We didn't have anything close to a "Game of Thrones" budget or anything like that. We're not even half of what that number would be. But when you don't have all the money in the world, you get there through blood and tears. We love the show and care about it, and I think we got there. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-school-trains-aspiring-special-effects-artists-2019-7">This Hollywood school trains aspiring special-effects artists</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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