Amazon Studios has acquired the rights of a limited comic series, Eight Billion Genies, created by writer Charles Soule and artist Ryan Browne. This move is taken by the studio to capitalise on the creator-owned series by adapting it into a movie, TV series and more.
The creators have not approached any writers or directors yet, but Soule and Browne will be the executive producers. Eight Billion Genies is an eight-issue miniseries, which launched its first issue in May and the second issue is currently on sale.
This story features a world where everyone is given one genie each to grant a wish. On the surface, that might look fantastic, but when everyone’s wishes are fulfilled at once, chaos is certain. The synopsis of the comic reads: All hell breaks loose, in a very entertaining way…and that’s just the beginning.
Eight Billion Genies would be the latest comic book adaptation from Amazon Studio. They are already streaming the third season of popular The Boys and animated Invincible from The Walking Dead author Robert Kirkman. Apart from that, the live-action Paper Girls adaptation from Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang is now streaming, and a college-based The Boys spinoff is in the works.
Soule has previously worked for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilms. His contributions to Star Wars are applauded, especially his run with Darth Vader comics. Soule is also one of the creators behind Star Wars: The High Republic, which officially started in 2021, along with his novel Light of the Jedi.
Browne worked for DC, Marvel and Valiant earlier and was also nominated for the Harvey award. God Hates Astronauts is some of his best works. He has used an eye-catching style in Eight Billion Genies, with cartoonish supernatural beings standing in contrast to real humans. Soule and Browne have together worked on Curse Words which is being developed into a series.
The makers have not given out any details about the beginning of the production process.