Something Is Killing the Children, the popular comic by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera published by Boom! Studios, is getting another shot at an adaptation from Netflix.
Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the German creators of buzzy cult series Dark and 1899, have been tapped to develop a series adaptation of the comic, one of the biggest titles not published by DC or Marvel.
The project is the first to come out of the duo’s freshly renewed first-look overall deal with the streaming giant that is said to be in the eight figures.
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Bo Odar and Friese will write, showrun and executive produce should the project get the green light. They will also direct the pilot. Boom!’s Stephen Christy and Ross Richie will executive produce the adaptation. Tynion and Dell’Edera will co-executive produce.
Bo Odar and Friese gained a following for their series, sci-fi- and horror-tinged mystery shows praised for their craftsmanship and storytelling. Dark, in particular, may find some thematic overlap with Children as it was an ensemble that focused on missing children and multiple timelines.
Children’s first story arc told of a town plagued by monsters that feast on children, with one teen survivor telling tales that no adult believes. Into this setting enters a mysterious young woman named Erica Slaughter. The woman, who occasionally converses with her stuffed animal, isn’t there to mince words but rather to mince monsters. The comic then opened up its world, focusing on the monster-killing cabal and its sinister politics.
Debuting in September 2019, Children was a hit that kept growing. The first issue has sold over 175,000 copies over the course of multiple printings while the comic has sold over 2 million since launch, a rare feat in modern publishing — not just in the indie comics world but even for Marvel and DC books. A spinoff, House of Slaughter, also written by Tynion, is also a top seller.
Children has also seen numerous plaudits thrown its way, earning an Eisner for best new series in 2020, a Harvey Award for book of the year, and a Ringo Award for best series.
The comic was previously being developed by Trevor Macy and Mike Flanagan, the team behind The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep, who came on board in 2021. Creative differences sunk the project. The duo had a first-look at Netflix at the time, but after series The Midnight Club failed to connect in fall of 2022, they decamped to Amazon in December.
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