Imagine a world where superheroes are real. It isn’t too much of a stretch with the state of gritty and grounded superhero stories that have hit screens over the last decade. But now we have our first teaser of a new entry into the grounded comic book fray. Jupiter’s Legacy is based on the 2013 Image comic of the same name. Created by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, the story follows the children of the first wave of superheroes as they try to escape their parents’ shadow.
While the first trailer doesn’t show us much, we do get the gruff and grizzled voice of Josh Duhamel. In the character of his first generation hero known as the Utopian, we hear him offer an ominous warning. “One day you’re going to be stronger than anyone else in the world. Every evil you can imagine is going to rise up against mankind. And not for justice, for vengeance. And you’re going to be the future.” It all sounds very serious.
And in an additional first look, Netflix shared the first images from the upcoming series, sharing just how Jupiter’s Legacy came to life—from the comics to the small screen. The first images of the give us our first look at the heroic Sampson family, as well as well as the evil villain Blackstar.
If you’ve not read the beautifully drawn comic, here’s what you need to know. In the 1930s, a group of friends get superpowers. They create a team known as the Union. Years later, they want their children to follow in their footsteps. But that’s more complex than it might seem. This is a family saga in the tradition of Star Wars. There’s explorations of loyalty, familial love, and of course a meta-commentary on superheroes and their place in the American landscape. But most importantly has that beautiful Frank Quitely art. While we won’t see that on screen, hopefully it’ll shape the visual landscape of the show.
Marni Grossman/Netflix
The series will be helmed by Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight. Duhamel will be joined by Leslie Bibb, Ben Daniels, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Mike Wade, and Matt Lanter. And the big news is that eight episode series will land on Netflix on May 7.
Originally published on February 23, 2021.
