Comic book creator Mark Millar has confirmed that Netflix will resume development on Millarworld projects, with King of Spies set to be the next production to enter filming. According to Millar, this film will be followed by a Nemesis trilogy and an adaptation of The Magic Order, following several years of relative inactivity in this universe of adaptations.
The statements were made during an on-stage interview at the High Viz Comic Con, held in Kings Heath, Birmingham, last month. The outlet Bleeding Cool was the first to report the comments, which were originally captured in an interview on the YouTube channel Geeky Brummie and Olly MacNamee.
Millar did not explicitly mention Netflix when discussing these projects, but King of Spies, Nemesis, and The Magic Order are all Millarworld properties that have belonged to the platform since it acquired the company. At the moment, there is no official confirmation from Netflix regarding any of these projects.
King of Spies, the next Millarworld production
When asked about the next project to move forward, Millar was clear: King of Spies will be the first to film. The author himself described the story as his take on the definitive British spy.
King of Spies is a four-issue comic book written by Millar alongside artist Matteo Scalera, published in 2021. The plot follows Sir Roland King, a retired British secret agent who, upon learning he has six months to live, decides to eliminate everyone he deems worthy of death, while his estranged son is the only one capable of stopping him.
Millar has compared the premise to a version of James Bond that “takes out all the real villains” and has called this project his favorite among everything he has created so far.
From its conception, King of Spies was intended as a film. The original announcement of the comic in 2021 noted that the project's design had been developed alongside the Millarworld team at Netflix with the goal of making the leap to the big screen. Millar has not revealed the identity of the screenwriter, limiting himself to saying that it is someone he has admired for twenty years and who, by chance, lives near him.
For now, no cast, director, or release window for the film has been announced.
A Nemesis trilogy, The Magic Order, and Psychic Sam
King of Spies is not the only Millarworld project Millar has in mind. The author also teased that Nemesis will become a film, in addition to mentioning The Magic Order and Psychic Sam among upcoming developments.
Nemesis will become a trilogy
Nemesis is planned as a trilogy based on the most recent stage of the comic, rather than the original 2010 series drawn by Steve McNiven. According to Millar, the three films will adapt the stories of Nemesis Reloaded, Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery, and Nemesis Forever, while also incorporating some elements from the original series, such as its opening sequence set in Japan. Millar himself summarized the project as a story of “evil Batman against the world.”
The Magic Order and Psychic Sam, also in the conversation
Millar also mentioned The Magic Order, though without providing further details. It is notable that he grouped it with film projects, as it had always been developed as a television series until now, so that approach may have changed.
Psychic Sam is a different case. As reported by Bleeding Cool, this project was funded via crowdfunding outside of Millarworld, through Mark Millar Productions and with the collaboration of Kick-Ass co-creator John Romita Jr. There is no indication that it is a project linked to Netflix.
Millar also ruled out that Big Game, the major Millarworld crossover event, will ever reach the screen, at least in the short term. In his own words, it would be a project for “30 years from now,” when the entire universe is rebooted.
Almost 10 years later, Millarworld moves slowly on Netflix
Any news about Millarworld is welcome, as the last time concrete progress was reported was in February 2024, when production listings placed the start of filming for The Magic Order in Chicago for March of that year, under the direction of new showrunner Alex Meenahan. That production was later delayed until the end of the third quarter of 2024 before being canceled entirely, likely influenced in part by the Hollywood strikes.
It was not the first time the project had fallen apart. Netflix had already canceled The Magic Order in October 2020, when it was in pre-production in Prague, before picking it back up the following year. Another project, Huck, also came close to production but has been stalled for a long time.
August 2027 will mark ten years since Netflix acquired Millarworld, its first company acquisition. At the time, Ted Sarandos described Mark Millar as “the closest thing to a modern-day Stan Lee,” and the deal promised a steady flow of films, series, and children's content.
In practice, the results have been sparse. Jupiter's Legacy was canceled after a single season in 2021, the anime Super Crooks premiered that same year, and The Chosen One, an adaptation of American Jesus, arrived in 2023 without securing a second season. A long list of announced projects, including Prodigy, Empress, Reborn, and Sharkey the Bounty Hunter, has also not seen the light of day so far.
What to expect from now on
If the timeline proposed by Mark Millar holds, King of Spies could begin filming before the end of 2026, which would make it the first new Millarworld production for Netflix in several years, also coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the studio's acquisition.
However, considering that The Magic Order has fallen apart twice before starting production, any definitive confirmation regarding these projects can only be taken as certain when official production listings appear.
Frequently asked questions about King of Spies and the future of Millarworld on Netflix
What is King of Spies and why is it relevant to Netflix?
King of Spies is a comic book by Mark Millar and Matteo Scalera published in 2021, conceived from the start as a future film. According to Millar, it will be the next Millarworld project to enter production for Netflix.
When will the King of Spies movie be released on Netflix?
No release date has been announced. Mark Millar has indicated that it could begin filming before the end of 2026, but Netflix has not officially confirmed the project or a schedule.
Who will star in King of Spies?
At the moment, no cast or director has been announced for the film. The name of the screenwriter has not been revealed either, whom Millar only described as someone he has admired for twenty years.
What other Millarworld projects are in development?
Mark Millar mentioned a trilogy based on Nemesis, composed of adaptations of Nemesis Reloaded, Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery, and Nemesis Forever, in addition to The Magic Order. He also cited Psychic Sam, although this project has no confirmed link to Netflix.
Why hasn’t The Magic Order been released yet?
The Magic Order has suffered two prior cancellations before filming: one in 2020, during pre-production in Prague, and another in 2024, following an initial delay and the subsequent cancellation of the start of filming in Chicago.
Which Millarworld projects have actually reached Netflix so far?
Netflix has released Jupiter's Legacy in 2021, which was canceled after one season, the anime Super Crooks that same year, and The Chosen One in 2023, based on American Jesus, which did not continue with a second season.
