After years of being in development, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal is finally getting adapted. The Image Comics series is set to earn a live-action television adaptation by Prime Video, with Captain Marvel‘s Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck signed on to direct the first four episodes. On Wednesday, Criminal got its first cast member, it was confirmed that Richard Jenkins has joined the cast of the series. Jenkins is known for his Oscar-nominated work in The Shape of Water and The Visitor, as well as projects like Dahmer: Monster — the Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Six Feet Under.
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Jenkins will play Ivan, who is described as “Leo’s dad’s best friend, and has always been an uncle figure to him. He used to be a robber and criminal, but is now currently suffering from dementia. Leo is trying to care for him but realizes he’s more work than he can handle.”
What Is Criminal About?
The Criminal comic books weave a narrative tapestry out of the lives of various individuals committed to lives of crime who are connected by blood or consequence. Written by Brubaker with art by Phillips, the series was originally published under Marvel’s Icon imprint, and has been published by Image Comics since 2016. The series has spawned ten volumes in total thus far: Coward, Lawless, The Dead and The Dying, Bad Night, The Sinners, The Last of the Innocent, Wrong Time, Wrong Place, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, Bad Weekend, and Cruel Summer. There have been years of attempts to adapt Criminal in live-action, beginning with a film adaptation that was set to be helmed by Kim Jee-Woon, but did not come to fruition.
“Sean and I have been building this world in our books for over a decade, and now to be able to bring it to life for Amazon is just incredible. And to have Amazon support the project the way they have, and show so much faith in my and Jordan’s vision for the show is even more incredible,” Brubaker said in a press release when the series was announced.
“Criminal is a beloved graphic novel created by the most iconic team in the history of comics,” Nick Pepper, head of U.S. SVOD wholly-owned development at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a press release. “I know our global Prime Video customers will immediately embrace this story, and I look forward to working with Ed, Jordan, and the team to bring it to the screen.”
h/t: Variety
