Ben Edlund’s cult comedy comic book series, The Tick first broke out into the mainstream with an animated series on Fox in the ’90s. A subsequent live-action series for The Tick in 2001 didn’t fare as well, but Edlund is making another attempt to bring back The Tick at Amazon Studios.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Edlund hinted that the new incarnation of The Tick may not be quite as whimsical as the previous adaptations. “We’ve got this show about superheroes [where] we get to have fun with the idea of superheroes by starting with kind of a comedic parody of [an] event-oriented-like universe,” said Edlund. “It will be darker and more grounded. And it’s going to have a real story, a real hero’s myth. We’re the ones that get to have fun with it and that’s kind of the situation where right now that’s an open field in this area of entertainment.”
Arguably, the appeal of The Tick was that it didn’t take itself seriously at all. The Tick himself was an absurd character in an even more absurd world. Giving The Tick a darker tone and “a real hero’s myth” seems to run the risk of losing some of the qualities that made the original series so unique.
So far, Amazon has only given the greenlight for a new pilot for The Tick, with Peter Serafinowicz in the title role, with Griffin Newman as the Tick’s sidekick, Arthur; Valorie Curry as Arthur’s sister, Dot; and Brendan Hines as Superian. The Tick pilot is expected to begin production later this year.
How do you feel about making The Tick darker and more grounded? Unleash a battle cry and share your thoughts below! “Spoooooon!”
