Mark Millar’s comic book properties have regularly made the jump to the big screen -- Wanted, Kick-Ass and the Kingsman movies, just to name a few -- so it was no surprise when in late 2017 Netflix purchased his company, Millarworld, and recruited the scribe to create original comics, TV show and movies for the streaming service. Talking to Millar in a phone interview, IGN got an update on where his various upcoming projects are in production, plus Millar talked up his latest comic published under Netflix called Prodigy.

Prodigy

Of the new movies and shows that Millar is creating for Netflix, a select few will also receive a comic book adaptation from Millar. Prodigy is one of those properties. Prodigy was already in development as a Netflix movie before Millar got to work on the comic book version with artist Rafael Albuquerque, and now the comic is out on shelves. (Check out Netflix's comic book trailer for Prodigy below.)

The story of Prodigy follows super-genius Edison Crane, who is so unbelievably smart that he’s able to solve the world’s greatest problems, earn a fortune, and execute insane stunts that require uncanny precision all at the same time. The greatest of challenges are easy for him, but by the end of the first issue, Edison finally faces his first true test in the form of a world-ending threat that only a mind like his could possibly hope to confront.

“I wanted to come up with an impossible scenario, and probably the most intricate plot that I’ve ever done. The whole setup of it is just on another level,” Millar told IGN. “It covers thousands of years of civilization, the entire planet, and goes into the other dimensions, and he’s got to solve all of this, all happening at the same time as he’s also trying to come up, in his subconscious, with a way of deflecting an asteroid that’s going to hit Earth in 15 years time. And he’s still, on some level of his subconscious, playing chess with like eight of the best chess players in the world. I love that multilayered thing, because there are a whole bunch of stories all going on at the same time that all tie up in the final issue.”

Millar calls Edison Crane the best character he’s ever created because his genius-level intellect provides an endless array of stories to be told, and given Edison Crane is an expert in just about everything, he fits into multiple genres, from sci-fi to horror and even the occult.

“There’s something fun about writing geniuses. I loved doing it when I wrote [Superman: Red Son], I loved writing Lex Luthor. This is like doing a Bruce Wayne multiplied by Lex Luthor, but with Indiana Jones’s taste for adventure,” Millar said.

While it might sound nice to be a super-genius who can partake in big action set pieces, Edison’s intellect comes at a price: his social life.

“Somebody who’s interested in everything, that makes him amazing, but also difficult,” Millar explained, calling this Edison's "Marvel-style flaw," and continuing, “You’re not gonna have a standard family life for him or just a normal relationship with someone, it would be almost impossible. Because there’s nothing you’ve got to say that’s that interesting to him. Every single thing that you’re saying is only useful to whatever he’s thinking about at that point, and he’s kind of heard it all before, and he can anticipate the next 20 things you’re gonna say. So immediately, that makes him insufferable, but at the same time necessary, because he’s the one guy that can get you out of any situation. So whenever your Secret Service has failed, whenever your private investigators have failed, whenever there’s a problem nobody else can deal with, he’s the guy that gets that call.”

Here’s a status update on the rest of Millar’s Netflix projects.

Jupiter’s Legacy - Series

Plot: After a group of superheroes save the world, we see that their super-powered offspring have grown up to be spoiled celebrities with no real responsibilities. That all changes when one member of the old guard wants to take over the world and it’s up to a generation of bratty superheroes to stop him.

Showrunner: Steven DeKnight (Marvel’s Daredevil Season 1, Pacific Rim: Uprising)

Millar’s Update: “That’s rattling along just now. All the scripts are coming in for the TV show, start the casting. So we’re getting going on that. Most likely it will be the first [Millarworld property released on Netflix], but no official dates announced yet. But we know internally, and we’re planning with that.”

Comic Artist: Frank Quitely

American Jesus - Series

Plot: A 12 year-old boy learns he’s the returned Jesus Christ and can make miracles happen just like ones described in the Bible, but this revelation sparks controversy, outrage, and debate across the world.

Showrunners: Everardo Gout (Marvel’s Luke Cage) and Leopoldo Gout (Molly’s Game)

Millar’s Update: American Jesus will likely be the second Millarworld property to air on Netflix.

Comic Artist: Peter Gross

Empress - Movie

Writer: Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser)

Producers: Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (Maleficent)

Plot: A sci-fi story following a woman who takes her children and flees across the cosmos from her husband, who just happens to be the most vile dictator in the galaxy.

Millar’s Update: This movie, along with Sharkey the Bounty Hunter (more on that below), will likely release next in this listed order. The screenplay is currently being written.

Comic Artist: Stuart Immonen

Sharkey the Bounty Hunter - Movie

Plot: Set in a new sci-fi universe, Sharkey the Bounty Hunter and his ten-year old partner take off in their ice-cream truck spaceship aiming to collect their biggest bounty yet.

Writer: Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street)

Comic Artist: Simone Bianchi

Millar’s Update: Screenplay currently being written.

Huck - Movie

Plot: What if Forrest Gump were a superhero? Huck uses his amazing powers to help one person a day in his small town, but once the media gets wind of what he can do, his whole world gets turned upside down.

Writer: Ted Melfi (Hidden Figures, St. Vincent)

Producers: Neal H. Moritz (The Fast and the Furious) and Toby Jaffe (Total Recall, 2012)

Millar’s Update: The last to release of these projects. Writer Ted Melfi is in the middle of another project right now.

Do These All Exist in a “Millarworld Cinematic Universe”?

While Marvel has made connected “cinematic universes” all the rage right now, Millar says he’s not building one with these properties. At least not at the moment.

“I think the mistake people make is to go in thinking of universes instead of thinking of just doing good movies. We saw it with the Mummy and everything, where you were thinking, oh, this is a fantastic foreshadowing of movie number nine! But there isn’t even going to be movie number two unless you make movie number one good, you know? [Building a cinematic universe is] in the back of our minds, that these things can link. But I think you almost insult the audience when you try and sell them something that’s just a big, interconnected business strategy, as opposed to just a good film,” Millar said, also adding, “So I just think, make some classic movies and then see how they come together after that.”

Joshua is Senior Editor of IGN Comics. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.