The Live-Action Film Adaptation Of Robert Kirkman's Invincible Is Still Happening

By now, fans have gotten used to waiting around the booth at Burger Mart for any kind of news related to Robert Kirkman's "Invincible." This week finally brought the release of a teaser trailer for season 2 of the acclaimed TV adaptation of Kirkman's comic book series, with the one-eyed Allen the Alien, voiced by Seth Rogen, acknowledging, "It's been a while. I think everyone agrees. It's been, like, a little ridiculous how long it's been." Yet the same could be said of the long-brewing live-action film adaptation of "Invincible," which is still happening, according to Kirkman.

Almost exactly two years ago, we heard the same thing: that the live-action "Invincible" movie was still happening, and that it would be separate from the animated series. Kirkman said there was a "two-track plan" for "Invincible," with the adult-oriented animated series going forward at Prime Video and a film series in development at Universal Pictures. He likened it to the web of various "Spider-Man" movies and shows we've seen happening in Hollywood at the same time, and teased that the "Invincible" movie would have "some significant differences" from the "Invincible" show.

Fast forward two years, and there hasn't been much more word on the "Invincible" movie front. However, in an interview with ComicBook.com, Kirkman recently offered an update on the "Invincible" film, saying:

"We're very much still working on that. 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."

It's been 20 years now since the "Invincible" comic, about a teen named Mark Grayson who inherits his father's superhero legacy, published its first issue back in January 2003. News of a potential film adaptation first broke in 2017 when the comic was still in the midst of its 144-issue run and the "Invincible" streaming series had yet to premiere. At the time, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen had another comic book adaptation, "Preacher," still going on TV, and they were said to be writing, directing, and producing the "Invincible" movie for Universal.

From what Robert Kirkman says now, it sounds like the success of the "Invincible" TV series is helping the movie regain momentum, though that may just be optimism on the part of a creator who has seen his pet film project get stuck in development hell. With Goldberg and Rogen executive producing the TV series and Rogen voicing the aforementioned Allen the Alien, though, they're both still hanging around the animated corner of Burger Mart with Kirkman. So who knows, maybe they're keeping the seat warm for live-action, too.

In the "Invincible" season 2 teaser, Allen pointedly asks protagonist Mark Grayson, voiced by Steven Yeun, "When are you going back out there? The world needs more 'Invincible.'" He demands a specific release date for the season and gets the ballpark figure of "late 2023 (more or less)." Hopefully, viewers won't have to wait all the way until 2033 to see the "Invincible" movie.