Netflix’s Umbrella Academy Adds Five More To Cast
by Erik Amaya
Ellen Page is no longer the sole member of the Umbrella Academy team.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castaneda, Robert Sheehan and Aidan Gallagher will join her in the upcoming Netflix series based on the comic book by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba.
The series follows the lives of a dysfunctional family of superheroes. Though estranged for many years, they come together to solve the death of their father and discover the whereabouts of a long-missing sibling. They also confronted a number of personal issues along the way. Page plays Vanya, the only member of the family lacking for super skills. Described as a “meek and insecure wallflower” in an earlier report, she struggles to find a place in a family of super geniuses, space-farers and the like.
That group includes Hopper’s Luther, aka Spaceboy. Always intended to be the leader, his workholic tendencies often get him into trouble as he will always put others before himself. Raver-Lampman will take on the role of Allison, aka The Rumor: a tired celebrity with the power of suggestion. Her mere utterance becomes the nature of reality, but that absolute power is crushing her. Castaneda will play Diego, aka The Kraken, a vigilante with a huge chip on his shoulder that will remind you of every badboy character you’ve ever seen on a hero team cartoon. Sheehan will become Klaus, aka The Séance. The rogue of the group with a twinkle in his eye and an angle to play.
Finally, Gallagher will be Number Five, aka The Boy. He’s a 58-year-old man in the body of a 13-year-old boy. A breakout character in the comics, his actions lead to a lot of bad feelings and may be indicative of an early-onset senility.
Fargo veteran Steve Blackman will run the show for executive producers Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg of Dark Horse Entertainment. Way is also on board as a co-producer.
The book was initially optioned in 2010 by Universal as a film project with Mark Bomback adapting. Then, in 2015, it resurfaced as a project for Universal Cable Productions, who are still involved with the Netflix incarnation. It seems it was waiting for the streaming revolution to take its place in the TV universe.
Umbrella Academy comes to Netflix in 2018.