The Boys is one of the most famous takes on the ins and outs of what it is to be a superhero. It is unafraid to look at aspects that might otherwise be hidden because of how mainstream superhero media has come to be. From exploring darker sides to not holding back, the series is famous because of how infamous the superheroes can unknowingly be.
Even with such a splendid star cast, the series seems to only be improving. If it lacks in one aspect for one season, it would not shy away from improving on it for the next. This development relationship has helped The Boys to become the fan-favorite series for many people. However, there was almost a moment when the series became a movie instead.
The Boys was Denied a Movie by Many Studios
Adam McKay, who directed The Big Short with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and Christian Bale once had his eyes set on The Boys. Garth Ennis’ creation is loved by audiences throughout the world thanks to Amazon Prime’s adaption. However, years prior, McKay wanted to make a movie out of the story. According to an interview with IndieWire, he was rejected multiple times.
“I was trying to do Garth Ennis‘ The Boys at one point, and I took it to every studio, every production financing place in town. And they were always like, ‘No.’ I had this crazy pre-viz reel that I’d done, and it was insane, like superheroes doing cocaine.”
He had been introducing the idea with the most confusing aspects he could find. From superheroes doing the most unimaginable things to them doing cocaine, he wanted to pitch the idea as clearly as possible. Unfortunately, every studio he took it to, he was rejected by.
Did Zack Snyder’s Watchmen have a Similar Premise?
When Adam McKay pitched the idea, many would simply compare his plot to that of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen without trying to understand it. In the same interview with IndieWire, he elaborated on how he came to understand the depth of how things were going.
“They all said, lazily, ‘So it’s like Watchmen?’ And then eventually I started realizing that no one was going to do it, and I started pitching the craziest aspects of it, embracing the fact that they hated it.”
Although the idea later was adapted for streaming, he had to come to terms with the fact that everyone hated it and that it would perhaps never be made.
Source: IndieWire
