Prime VideoInvincible Season 3 has just ended, but something else is in the works: a live-action Invincible movie.
At the start of 2021, you’d be hard-pressed to find people who were familiar with Invincible, Robert Kirkman’s brutal Image Comics series. However, Prime Video’s adaptation hit screens in March of that year, and it was an extraordinary success, attracting rave reviews and an immediately obsessed audience with its subversive superhero story and host of strong characters.
The show follows Mark Grayson, a 17-year-old high schooler who begins his transformation into a superhero under the watchful eye of Omni-Man, his father and the most powerful being on Earth. While he wants to be a friendly neighborhood, all-seeing, all-helping hero, he struggles to balance his everyday responsibilities and his corrosive relationship with his dad, especially as the truth of his origins come to light.
While fans waiting on Invincible Season 4, right now we’re more interested in the live-action Invincible movie.
Is there an Invincible movie release date?
Prime VideoSadly, the Invincible movie doesn’t have a release date right now.
News of a film adaptation first emerged via The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg attached to write, direct, and produce the movie. Kirkman will also serve as a producer via Skybound Entertainment’s first-look deal with Universal Pictures.
“For nearly a decade I’ve had to endure the ‘what about Invincible?’ question as fans have watched The Walking Dead grow into the multimedia monstrosity it has become over the years,” Kirkman said in his original statement.
“The answer was always that we were waiting for the right team to partner with. That team has arrived! The esteemed misters Goldberg and Rogen have proven themselves to be top-notch directors with a keen collective eye for stunning visuals after slumming it by writing hit after juggernaut hit.”
After the show’s debut in 2021, Kirkman confirmed the movie was still in development, but updates have been few and far between. Earlier this year, in an interview with Comic Book to mark Invincible’s 20th anniversary, Kirkman reaffirmed: “We’re very much still working on [the movie].
Prime Video“Sometimes movies take a little bit longer. I think it’s safe to say, if anything, the show has just helped that immensely. People are very excited about that movie potential at Universal. So we’re riding that excitement and trying to push things forward as quickly as possible.”
Kirkman earlier said the project had been stalled due to the now-resolved writers’ and actors’ strikes, while showing support for the industry action. Prior to Season 2’s release, Kirkman gave an update on the Invincible film during an interview with Variety. “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,” he said.
“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. 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.”
Speaking to The Direct last year, Kirkman stressed that the movie is “still in development… we’re still working with Universal.”
“You know, the show is going so well. I think the movie absolutely has to be perfect. And so it’s taking a lot of time, like getting the pieces aligned and getting everything to work so that we can come out and make it as good as it can possibly be. So it’s been in development for a long time, and it’s probably going to be in development for a while longer.”
In a new interview with Comic Book, Kirkman said: “I will say that the television show makes it vastly easier and vastly more difficult in various different aspects of the development of the movie.
“That’s kind of where I have to leave it, unfortunately… it’s still early going. I would be shocked if doesn’t happen one day.”
Casting speculation for the Invincible movie
There’s no official cast details for the Invincible movie right now.
There’s a good reason for this: nobody has been cast, to our knowledge, as the film is still in early development. And the lineup won’t be the same as the Invincible series’ voice cast. So, fans have shared their own ideas of who could take on each role.
Steven Yeun voices Mark in the series, and while he’s pitch-perfect for the character, he’s too old in real life to play him in live-action. The common consensus is that the role should be given to a young newcomer or rising star, while the surrounding supporting roles could be played by bigger names.
Aka, Omni-Man needs a heavy hitter. JK Simmons is near-irreplaceable, and if he didn’t want to reprise his role in the movie, it’d be a tough suit to fill. However, there are a few options: Jon Hamm would be an excellent choice, as would Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Pine, Kyle Chandler, or David Harbour.
We’ll update this space as soon as we know more.
What would the Invincible movie be about?
We don’t have any official plot details, but we’re expecting the Invincible movie to cover similar ground to Season 1: Mark getting to grips with his powers and coming to blows with Omni-Man.
Upon the film’s first announcement, Kirkman said: “Invincible‘s surprising, edgy, shocking, and oftentimes blood-soaked story couldn’t be in more capable hands. With the team of Rogen, Goldberg and Universal, I’m very confident this will be another superhero movie, in a long line of superhero movies that continues to prove that it’s a viable, thrilling genre that will keep people coming to the cinema for years to come.”
Rogen and Goldberg added: “No matter how much damage it causes our bodies, minds, and our most intimate relationships with those we love, we will not rest until Invincible is as great a movie as it deserves to be.”
Prime VideoThe film won’t be a straight live-action copy of the show’s plot. “There will definitely be some significant differences between the movie and the television show. People will easily be able to tell them apart… we’re definitely working to make sure that the two can exist and complement each other,” Kirkman earlier said, as per EW.
In 2023, Rogen spoke to Comic Book for The Super Mario Bros Movie and discussed how the Invincible series has influenced their outlook on the project. “There was a live-action ‘take’ that was different from the animated ‘take,’ as it were. And then the animated show came out that was very faithful to the comic and was incredibly popular,” he explained.
“At that point, it seemed like maybe doing a live-action take that was good but very different would be weird, and maybe not acknowledging the things that people liked about the animated version. Then in our heads, the live-action ‘take’ seemed more like it should feel like a live-action adaptation of the cartoon, which is a direct adaptation of the comic.”
Last year, Kirkman said one of the main difficulties of the film adaptation is providing “a different experience, it has to still be true to Invincible in some interesting ways.”
“But it has to be its own thing. It has to stand on its own. And so that’s something we’re spending a lot of time crafting. But I think when it finally happens, it’s gonna be really cool.”
Is there an Invincible movie trailer?
No, there’s no trailer for the Invincible movie right now. You can check out the opening scene from Season 3 below:
How to watch Invincible
Invincible Seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Prime Video now.
In the meantime, check out our guide on how to read Invincible comics if you want to know more spoilers – like what happens to Powerplex, Oliver, and Darkwing II.
You can also keep tabs on the show’s soundtrack and find other shows like Invincible to watch next.
We also spoke to Robert Kirkman, who explained why Spawn couldn’t appear in the Invincible War and why there may not be a Rex Splode special anytime soon. He also gave us an update on the Invincible video game.
