'The Umbrella Academy' Netflix Adaptation Will Star Ellen Page
Ellen Page is bringing a new superhero team to Netflix. Gerard Way's graphic comic The Umbrella Academy is about to come to life as a series on the streaming service, with Page as one of the leads. The story is set in an alternate reality and focuses on a group of dysfunctional superheroes. The series will debut in 2018.The Umbrella Academy, the comic series from My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way, is about to become part of the ever-expanding library of Netflix original shows. Way's series had originally been optioned as a film for Universal Pictures, but the project never came to pass. Now Netflix is taking a shot at it, and they've landed Ellen Page to star. Deadline reports that Page has joined the cast of the Netflix series, with Fargo's Steve Blackman serving as executive producer and showrunner, working from a pilot script by Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist).
The comic series is set in an alternate timeline where John F. Kennedy was never assassinated. In the main story, a group of seven super-powered misfits are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves a.k.a. The Monocle, an extraterrestrial in disguise who raises and trains the seven to become a team of dysfunctional superheroes. Here's the official synopsis of the comic series:
An an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world." These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.
Page will play Vanya, the only member of the team who has suppressed superpowers, yet also the most powerful member of the Umbrella Academy. Here is how the irrefutable source known as Wikipedia describes her character:
"The most estranged member of the group. Vanya originally showcases no particular powers, other than an interest in music. Vanya is known to have written a book detailing her life with the Academy and her decision to leave. According to The Conductor, leader of the Orchestra Verdammten, she's the most powerful of The Umbrella Academy. In her early childhood, The Monocle suppressed her powers, and kept her on medication to keep them that way, but they were eventually released by The Conductor which ended up driving her mad. She is capable of releasing destructive waves of force using her violin that can be strong enough to cut someone's throat or destroy an entire building with a single note."
Page is a very talented actress who unfortunately hasn't found the right film role in a while. She was last seen (by pretty much no one) in the dud that was the Flatliners remake. Here's hoping The Umbrella Academy gives her a chance to better showcase her skills again. This won't be Page's first time joining a team of super-powered misfits: she played Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past. She also appeared in James Gunn's ultra-violent superhero spoof Super.