Plans for a live-action Invincible movie were first announced back in 2017. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg boarded the project as writers and directors, with Point Grey Pictures and Skybound Entertainment producing and Universal Pictures set to distribute.
All signs pointed to the project being a priority but it's seemingly fallen by the wayside, with the focus instead shifting to Prime Video's animated Invincible TV series based on Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley's comic book.
Talking to Variety about the show's second season, Kirkman said the movie is, "Still in the script development stage. I think once we get the script to where it needs to be, I think we’ll be in a good place, and can move fairly quickly after that."
"But all of the factors that I just discussed are things that we’re thinking about: How does this feel new? How does this feel different? How is this going to feel like something that’s special? Those are very tall orders," he continued. "We also need to find a way to play off the animated series, but also differentiate ourselves and give the movie a reason for existing. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. But we’re hopeful."
The animated Invincible has very faithfully adapted the comics so it's hard to say what a live-action movie could bring to the table that we haven't already seen in animation (aside from plenty of live-action gore). This year's WGA strike obviously won't have helped speed things along either.
In the same interview, Kirkman was asked if we can now expect the show to drop new seasons yearly on Prime Video.
"That is the goal. The realities of animation may make that a little difficult, but what I can guarantee is that the gap between Season 1 and 2 is the longest gap we should ever have, you know, barring some unforeseen catastrophe," he explained. "It may be every 18 months or 16 months or 13 months or every 12 months. We’re still trying to figure that out."
Published by Image Comics and set in the Image Universe, Invincible follows the coming of age of superhero Mark Grayson/Invincible, a Viltrumite and first-born son of Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on Earth. The series began publication on January 22, 2003 and concluded on February 14, 2018, with 144 issues. During that time, the title character even crossed paths with Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.