Amazon has just released the first official photos for the reboot of “The Tick,” showing British comedian Peter Serafinowicz in full costume as the titular character. The return of the dim-witted yet nigh-invulnerable superhero is imminent, with the pilot episode premiering on August 19.
The Tick began as a superhero spoof comic created by Ben Edlund in 1986 that was later adapted into an animated series in 1994 and a live-action TV series starring Patrick Warburton in 2001. IGN has ranked The Tick as #57 in their Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time list.
Peter Serafinowicz, who previously appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, will be taking over the role of the cult-favorite superhero. Here’s the first official look at Serafinowicz in full blue body suit:
For comparison, here’s Warburton in the 2001 original:
Joining Serafinowicz are Griffin Newman (Vinyl) as the Tick’s moth-costumed sidekick, Arthur, and Valorie Curry (House of Lies) as his sister, Dot Everest. Also appearing in the pilot are Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Yara Martinez (Jane the Virgin) and Brendan Hines (Scorpion).
Here’s the official updated synopsis from Amazon: “In a world where superheroes have been real for decades, an underdog accountant with zero powers comes to realize his city is owned by a global super villain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover this conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero.”
Edlund, who drew The Tick comics from the ’80s to the ’90s, is on board the Amazon reboot, which he says will still retain its comedic style, but with a heavier edge. “We've got this show about superheroes [where] we get to have fun with the idea of superheroes by starting with kind of a comedic parody of [an] event-oriented-like universe,” Edlund told Entertainment Weekly. “It will be darker and more grounded. And it's going to have a real story, a real hero's myth. We're the ones that get to have fun with it and that's kind of the situation where right now that's an open field in this area of entertainment.”
He adds, “I love continuity and playing a seriality that is very close to what comics always have been, which is when something happens it gets fed into the ongoing canon and that becomes part of the fabric of the reality that that universe holds. To me, that's something [that] is still super valuable, even in the humor universe.”
Fans of The Tick should be aware that they’re only guaranteed the single episode. Amazon Prime members will be asked to review the pilot and the network will decide whether to order a full season based on the feedback.
Will The Tick reboot delight fans enough to merit an entire season? Let’s find out on August 19th.
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