Netflix is set to debut a new superhero show called "The Umbrella Academy" on Feb. 15. Based on a graphic novel series from Gerald Way, the lead vocalist of the band My Chemical Romance, the drama is reportedly well on its way to planning the second season even as the first season has yet to launch on the platform.
Way told Collider that he has sat down with showrunner Steve Blackman and the rest of the writers of "The Umbrella Academy" to discuss the future of the series. He showed them an 18-page document, as well as unpublished pages of the graphic novels, that had every story of the series to serve as a guide and a blueprint.
The novelist said that it was necessary to let the writers know the whole story of "The Umbrella Academy" ahead of time so that they can plant the seeds of the plots that will be branching out in the future series. Way is hopeful that the show will rake success so that Netflix will renew the show for season 2 or more and they will actually be able to do more of the stories.
Development of "The Umbrella Academy" from books to screen started in 2010. Originally, Way intended his graphic novel to become a movie but Universal Cable Productions won the deal to produce the story as a television show.
In 2017, Netflix announced that it has greenlit "The Umbrella Academy" for a 10-episode first season run with Way as executive producer and Blackman as showrunner. "Juno star" Ellen Page was cast as the show's lead as Vanya Hargreeves. Joining her were co-stars Tom Hopper (Luther Hargreeves), Robert Sheenan (Klaus Hargreeves), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison Hargreeves), David Castaneda (Diego Hargreeves) and Aidan Gallagher (Number Five).
"The Umbrella Academy" follows a group of kids who were born under mysterious circumstances to different mothers who did not have any indication they were pregnant. The children were eventually adopted by an industrialist and billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore), who created The Umbrella Academy.
Hargreeves taught his adopted kids to harness their powers to save the world. However, dysfunction caused the family to fall apart so the kids were separated. Years later, the children reunited as grown-ups after their adopted father's death. Now, they have to figure out the mystery to why their father died.
"The Umbrella Academy" season 1 will begin streaming on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 15, at 12 midnight.
