Copyright Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment has teamed with Hasbro Entertainment to produce Energon Universe, an adult animated series based on the comics of the same name created by Kirkman. Joe Henderson (Lucifer) is attached to write the adaptation and serve as showrunner on the series, an epic crossover of G.I. Joe, Transformers and Void Rivals mythology, which is expected to be taken out to buyers shortly. Despite featuring the family-friendly Hasbro characters G.I. Joe and Transformers, the Energon Universe series will be broad, with adult sensibility in the vein of Kirkman’s gritty adult animated series Invincible, based on his comic, which has been a hit for Prime Video, renewed for Season 5 ahead of its Season 4 premiere next March. Kirkman, a Transformers and G.I. Joe fan since childhood, won the comic book publishing rights to the signature Hasbro brands in 2021. He went on to create a cohesive shared universe in which Transformers and G.I. Joe co-exist together alongside original IP Void Rivals, which Kirkman co-created with Lorenzo De Felici. Two years in, Energon Universe has become one of Hasbro’s bestselling comic book lines ever, with over 7 million combined units sold worldwide. It launched in June 2023 with Void Rivals which featured the surprise appearance of Transformers character Jetfire on the final page. That was followed by the October 2023 release of Transformers and four G.I. Joe character-focused miniseries, leading to a tentpole G.I. Joe series launch in November 2024, with Transformers #1, G.I. Joe #1 and Void Rivals #1 all setting sale records and Transformers winning two Edgar Awards in 2024. Comic book and TV writer Henderson previously served as showrunner on Lucifer, the successful Fox/Netflix TV series also adapted from comics. His TV credits also include White Collar and Almost Human. Hasbro Entertainment’s slate includes film, scripted and unscripted Clue series with Sony; a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series Forgotten Realms at Netflix; a Monopoly film with LuckyChap and Lionsgate; an unscripted Monopoly series for Netflix; a Magic: The Gathering live-action film and TV universe in partnership with Legendary and an animated series at Netflix; a live-action Power Rangers TV series with 20th Century TV for Disney+; a My Little Pony live-action film at Amazon MGM Studios; and game shows based on Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, recently renewed for second seasons by the CW. Co-founded by Kirkman and CEO David Alpert, Skybound’s portfolio includes The Walking Dead, Invincible, whose most recent third season became Prime Video’s most watched animated series installment, and audio drama Impact Winter. Coming up are series Dime Tu Nombre and Vaka, with Skybound’s comic book series Stillwater by Chip Zdarsky and Ramon K. Perez adapted by Greg Berlanti and Carly Wray for Prime Video.
