Call it revenge of the nerds.
Comic books may have been the calling card for geeks in grade school â bđ˛ut the networks now canât seem to snap the properties up fast enough to adapt into TV shows.
Netflix is the latest to join the trend, announcing Thursday a new deal for four live-action series â and a miniseries â from Marvel, featuring the characđ ters Daredevil â played on the big screen by Ben Affleck â Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage.
The shows will premiere on the streaming đservice stđŧarting in 2015.
This news follows Marvelâs first foray into prime-time television, this fallâs âAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.â (ABC), DC Comicsâ âArrowâ (The CW), and even âThe Walkinđg Deadâ (AMC), which is based on comic books of the non-superhero variety.
And thereâs more are on the way. Fox has already given a straight-to-series commitment to the Batman prequel âGothđ§amâ about Commissioner James Gordon (played by Gary Oldman in the âDark Knightâ filmđ trilogy), while The CW has announced plans for a potential spinoff starring The Flash that will air as a back-door pilot in this season of âArrowâ (with Grant Gustin of âGleeâ cast in the title role).
The network also recently said itâs developing a dramađĻ based on the DC Comics hero Hourman, and deadline.com reported Thursday it bought another project based on âiZombie.â
âHaving those franchises allows you also to incubate and get new product to come out and increases your development capability,â CW president Mark Pedowitz told reporters last summer of the networkâs interest in āšmining the DC Comics universe.
NBC, not to be left out, is adapting âConstantineâ â subject of a 2005 feature film starring Keanu Reeves â and even AMC is developing đ§a spinoff of âWalking Deadâ from the comic book author Robert Kirkman.
One look đat the ratings charts helps explain why TV is suddenly in a comics craze: âThe Walking Deadâ is drawing monstrous ratings in its fourth season, topping 16 million viewers for its premiere and regulaârly beating âSunday Night Footballâ in the coveted 18-49 demo.
âS.H.I.E.L.D.â is the fallâs No.2 new drama, averaging 8.8 million viewers, while âArrowâ is The CWâs most-watcę§hed series.
And in todayâs fractured TV landscape,ꊲ comic book franchises carry a passionate built-in fan base â just look at the 130,000 fans that flock to Comic-Con each year, or Marvelâs $2.2 billion box office haul for its films.
That popularity was a selling point Netflix chief cđŧontent officer Ted Sarandos cited in announcing the pick up of the four 13-episode series and miniseries that will give the service close to 60 episodes of comicsęĻ-based entertainment.
âMarvelâs moâĻvies, such as âIron Manâ and Marvelâs âThe Avengersâ, are huđ ge favorites on our service around the world,â Sarandos said.
âLikeđ Disney, Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels.â
For Marvel, which launched a TV division in 2010, its dealđs with ABC and Netflix allow it to add the small screen to its universe, extending its brand to a new set of fans.
âThis deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvelâs bâ¨rand, conđtent and characters across all platforms of storytelling,â said Alan Fine, president of Marvel Entertainment.
âNetflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that isđ Marvelâs specialty.â