Criminal Ordered to Series at Prime Video
The neo-noir graphic novel series Criminal is officially receiving a TV adaptation at Prime Video.
News of a Criminal TV series first broke in February 2023, courtesy of Deadline, with original comic writer Ed Brubaker spearheading the development at Amazon Studios.
Prime Video confirms the series is a go, with Brubaker serving as co-showrunner alongside author and TV writer Jordan Harper (The Mentalist).
Brubaker is not only a comic writer (while writing his Captain America run, he brought Bucky Barnes back as the Winter Soldier) but also has prior experience in television.
He was part of the Westworld writers’ room and co-created the Prime Video series Too Old To Die Young. Now, Brubaker brings his talents to Criminal, on which he penned the pilot.
“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.
Criminal is an anthology graphic novel series set in the fictional Center City. Written in the style of old pulp novels, each volume is a distinct (but always bloody) story. There are intersecting characters and story threads, particularly the Patterson and Lawless families.
Originally published by Marvel’s Icon Comics imprint, Criminal is currently published by Image Comics. The series currently consists of eight volumes and two standalone graphic novels (Bad Weekend and My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies).
Every Criminal volume has been written by Brubaker and drawn by his frequent creative partner, Sean Phillips.
The newly released information about the adaptation at Prime Video does not mention which Criminal comics will be adapted first. As the source material is a non-chronological anthology, Volume 1 — Coward — may not be where the TV series starts.
Brubaker and Phillips will serve as executive producers on the Criminal TV series alongside Harper, Sarah Carbiener, Phillip Barnett, and Legendary Television. Amazon MGM Studios produces the series. No release date has been confirmed yet.
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Criminal will stream exclusively on Prime Video.
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Devin Meenan
Devin Meenan is a freelance entertainment writer, with bylines at outlets including IGN, /Film, Polygon and more. His first love was movies but he found himself writing more passionately about TV, hence him joining the Tell-Tale TV team. His favorite types of TV to sink into include prestige dramas, mystery box thrillers, sci-fi/fantasy, and anime. He can be reached on Twitter @ DevinM626.