We first heard about this back in 2023, but updates have been few and far between since. Now, Deadline is reporting that Amazon Prime Video is moving ahead with an eight-episode adaptation of acclaimed 2013 Image Comics series Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky.
Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals), Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick) and Tze Chun (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) are on board as co-creators of the series. Nanjiani is also set to star in an undisclosed role.
“Sex Criminals is the exact kind of thing Winter Coat aims to bring to life: love stories in weird places,” said Gordon and Nanjiani. “From the moment LuckyChap brought us Matt and Chip’s comic book, we knew we wanted to bring these characters to screen and are so excited to do that alongside Tze Chun and Prime Video.”
Added Chun, “I’ve been a fan of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s Sex Criminals since the first issue hit the stands. This has been my dream project for over a decade, and co-creating this show with Emily and Kumail has been one of the creative highlights of my career. We are so excited to bring this series to life with our incredible partners at Lucky Chap and Prime Video.”
Sex Criminals - which is one of the most banned and challenged comics in the U.S. - focuses on a librarian named Suze and an actor named Jon who meet at a party and end up sleeping together. "Later, they are shocked to discover that they share the ability to freeze time when they orgasm. As their relationship develops and their sexual histories are explored, they decide to rob the bank where Jon works in order to save Suze's endangered library."
The show's official logline reads: "Sex Criminals centers on Suze, a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time. One night, she meets Jon, who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping couple would do: They rob banks.”
An earlier adaptation of the Eisner award-winning series was in the works at Universal back in 2015, but plans fell through.
“Sex Criminals is bold, hilarious, and wildly original, with a love story at its core that feels both deeply human and completely unexpected,” said Peter Friedlander, global head of television at Amazon MGM Studios. “Emily, Kumail, and Tze have brought a fresh, and emotionally grounded take to this incredible property. With our collaborators at LuckyChap, Winter Coat Films, and comic book creators Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, we’re thrilled to bring this unforgettable world and its characters to our global Prime Video audience.”