Karl Urban joins the cast of The Boys on Amazon
Karl Urban is jumping from Thor: Ragnarok to a new superhero project — The Boys.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the esteemed actor has signed onto Amazon’s The Boys. He joins an already impressive cast for the adaptation of the violent graphic novel series.
While The Boys might be a world populated by superheroes, Karl Urban will be playing someone without powers. He’ll be playing group leader, Billy Butcher, as he tries to reveal the corruption of the world’s heroes. However, he’s going to have to play dirty if he hopes to take down some evil powered people.
More from Show Snob
- The Santa Clauses season 2, episode 6 recap “Wanga Banga Langa!”
- Lawmen: Bass Reeves season 1, episode 7 preview: Non-spoiler thoughts for Part VII
- Goosebumps season 1, episode 6 recap: “Night of the Living Dummy”
- Beacon 23 season 1, episode 3 recap: “Why Can’t We Go on as Three?”
- Upload season 3, episode 2 recap: “Strawberry”
Billy Butcher is supposed to be magnetic and charming but surprisingly brutal. He isn’t afraid of resorting to disturbing tactics such as blackmail or violence to get his way.
However, this comes from his traumatic childhood where he constantly witnessed his father abusing his mother. He is the one who ultimately sets the story in motion.
Karl Urban seems like the perfect casting to play the deeply unsettled Butcher. After he wakes up one night to finds his wife dead and their super-powered unborn infant attacking him, his life is forever changed.
In one moment he loses his entire family before discovering she was raped by the world’s most famous superhero. He wants vengeance for his lost love and assembles the vigilante team called “The Boys.”
It’s unclear if the Amazon adaptation will keep his trusty sidekick and pet, The Terror, in the series. The Butcher’s dog is an infamous part of his character since he’s been trained to have sex with anything on command.
It’s possible the show just gives Karl Urban a run-of-the-mill dog, but with all of the other graphic scenes expected in the series they might just skip over this part.
The Boys isn’t expected to debut on Amazon until sometime in 2019 but should start production soon. Karl Urban joins an impressive ensemble full of other genre actors like Erin Moriarty ( Jessica Jones) and Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad).
Next: 10 Marvel superheroes who deserve their own TV series
The adaptation is just another exciting project from Amazon as the streaming service tries to elevate the quality of their shows. Based on the casting alone, the series definitely has the potential to be the next big comic book hit.