Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Superhero Shows
  4. The Boys

Anchorman director tried to adapt The Boys into a movie trilogy 16 years ago, but pre-MCU Hollywood wasn't into it

News
By Megan Garside published 25 June 2024

"I just don’t think they were ready for it yet"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Homelander and Ryan in The Boys season 4
(Image credit: Prime Video)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Over a decade before the popular Prime Video TV show aired, The Boys was previously planned to be adapted into a movie trilogy by legendary comedy director Adam McKay, but the studio dropped it before it could even start filming. 

The Boys co-creator and illustrator Darick Robertson confirmed this during an interview with Rolling Stone, revealing that McKay had plans to adapt The Boys comics back in 2008. "For a while, director Adam McKay was trying to turn The Boys into a trilogy of movies — the first one went as far as a finished screenplay and even demo animatics of scenes," said Robertson. 

However, Robertson revealed that McKay "wasn’t able to get it greenlighted in a pre-MCU Hollywood," and that if McKay had pitched the idea just a few years later when audiences had a real hunger for superhero content, it might have worked out differently. "[McKay] was doing really cool stuff," added Robertson, "It just came down to it being 2008, not 2018. I just don’t think they were ready for it yet."

Latest Videos From
Watch full video here:

Mckay is best known for helming classic comedies such as Will Ferrel's flicks The Other Guys, Stepbrothers, and Anchorman, and ensemble comedy dramas such as Vice, Don’t Look Up, and The Big Short. 

Alas, the movies never came to fruition, and in 2019 The Boys series was born, which all started when Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg got their hands on the 2006 The Boys comic. After taking the idea to Sony, Rogen found his showrunner in Supernatural’s Eric Kripke, and the wheels were put in motion, but that isn’t to say the team didn't go through a few rewrites of their own including character design. "I wouldn’t change how it worked out because the show is amazing," added Robertson. 

You may like
  • The Deep The Boys' The Deep star once pitched his own spin-off inspired by an HBO dark comedy and Tropic Thunder
  • Jaz Sinclair as Marie and Erin Moriarty as Annie in Gen V season 2 The Boys' Eric Kripke ensures you don't have to do "homework" to watch season 5
  • Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5 trailer The Boys creator says there aren't "full battle scenes" in season 5 because they don’t have "a Game of Thrones’ budget"

Now on its fourth season, The Boys TV show is as outrageous as ever with secret Supe Victoria Neuman edging closer to the Oval Office, Billy Butcher supposedly on death's door, and the Supes as chaotic as can be. In the last episode, titled 'Wisdom of the Ages', we witnessed Homelander’s most unhinged moment yet where he turned the lab where he spent his childhood into a bloodbath, including lasering a man's penis off and forcing another into a giant oven. Yep. 

The Boys Season 4 episodes 1-4 are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video right now with new episodes dropping every season. For more on The Boys, check out the rest of our coverage:

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
  • The Boys season 4 review
  • The Boys season 4 takes full advantage of Prime Video’s most overlooked feature, and the result is hilarious
  • Do I need to watch Gen V before The Boys season 4?
  • Who voices Ambrosius in The Boys season 4? The surprise big-name cameo, explained
  • Who is the new Black Noir in The Boys season 4? His return from the dead explained
  • Who is Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing in The Boys season 4?
  • Is this surprise A-list appearance in The Boys season 4 the show's best cameo yet?
  • Who is Tek Knight in The Boys season 4?
CATEGORIES
Amazon Prime Video Streaming Services
Megan Garside
Megan Garside
Social Links Navigation
Junior Social Media Editor, GamesRadar+

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.

Read more
The Deep
Superhero Shows The Boys' The Deep star once pitched his own spin-off inspired by an HBO dark comedy and Tropic Thunder
 
 
Jaz Sinclair as Marie and Erin Moriarty as Annie in Gen V season 2
Superhero Shows The Boys' Eric Kripke ensures you don't have to do "homework" to watch season 5
 
 
Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5 trailer
Superhero Shows The Boys creator says there aren't "full battle scenes" in season 5 because they don’t have "a Game of Thrones’ budget"
 
 
Jared Padalecki as Mister Marathon in The Boys season 5 episode 5
Superhero Shows The Boys season 5 just made a perfect dig at Spider-Man and the MCU in its latest episode
 
 
Sister Sage and Ashley in The Boys season 5
Superhero Shows The Boys showrunner wants the superhero satire to also be "the most accurate inside-Hollywood show"
 
 
The Boys season 5 finale
Superhero Shows The Boys season 5 wasn't my favorite, but seeing the finale in 4DX made it all worth it
 
 
Latest in Superhero Shows
X-Men '97 season 2
Marvel TV Shows X-Men '97 season 2 review: "Proves why the mutants are cooler than the Avengers"
 
 
My Adventures with Superman season 3
DC TV Shows My Adventures with Superman is what James Gunn's DCU should be
 
 
The Boys season 5 episode 8
Superhero Shows Kimiko has a nod to the comics in the final episode of The Boys, and you probably missed it
 
 
Erin Moriarty as Annie/ Starlight and Jack Quaid as Hughie in The Boys season 5 finale
Superhero Shows The Boys season 5 finale left star Jack Quaid in tears over Hughie's fate: "It was so surreal for me"
 
 
Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5 finale
Superhero Shows The Boys creator has seen the finale backlash online, but still stands by it: "It was the story I wanted to tell"
 
 
The Boys season 5 finale
Superhero Shows Fans are wondering why Amazon chose to reportedly spend four times more on Spider-Noir than The Boys season 5
 
 
Latest in News
Lucia leaves prison in GTA 6 trailer 2
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 had "all the studios in the world" planning around the Rockstar Games behemoth, A Plague Tale dev says
 
 
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Tomb Raider Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Lara Croft actor dislocated her jaw and popped it back into socket while recording
 
 
Sonic the Hedgehog holding chilidogs
Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic lead says AAA studios can learn from indies in the same way movies should take notes from Backrooms and Obsession
 
 
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7 Revelation lead thinks a potential Final Fantasy 6 remake would "be in better hands" with another dev
 
 
God of War Laufey trailer screenshots
God of War God of War Laufey's Faye allowed Sony Santa Monica to merge the series' old and new eras, says lead
 
 
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
Final Fantasy After Final Fantasy 7 Revelation wraps up, the remake's director wants to work on another JRPG
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Sonic the Hedgehog holding chilidogs
    1
    Sonic lead says AAA studios can learn from indies in the same way movies should take notes from Backrooms and Obsession
  2. 2
    Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton thinks Buzz and Woody have seen each other since they parted ways in Toy Story 4
  3. 3
    SteelSeries' South Park collab is live and you can't stop me adding this Towelie mouse pad to my collection
  4. 4
    GTA 6 had "all the studios in the world" planning around the Rockstar Games behemoth, A Plague Tale dev says
  5. 5
    Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Lara Croft actor dislocated her jaw and popped it back into socket while recording

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...