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The Boys will reveal 'unseen stories' in Diabolical animated series

The Boys will reveal 'unseen stories' in Diabolical animated series

The Vought Cinematic Universe is truly becoming a thing and not just something The Boys uses to mock our present reality.

Amazon gave the R-rated Emmy-nominated superhero satire an eight-episode animated anthology series, titled Diabolical, after Billy Butcher's (Karl Urban) famous catchphrase. In fact, Eric Kripke, showrunner on the main Boys series, says in a statement that his crew is almost finished making the first season, which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.

"We gathered together some incredible creators and we gave them one rule… just kidding, there's no rules," he says. "They blew the doors off it, delivering eight completely unexpected, funny, shocking, gory, moist, emotional episodes. You think The Boys is nuts? Wait till you see this."

Urban formally announced the show in a video message during a panel at CCXP Worlds 2021. Diabolical will reveal "unseen stories within The Boys universe, brought to life by some of the most creative minds in entertainment today," according to an official description.

Those creative minds include Awkwafina, Garth Ennis, Eliot Glazer and Ilana Glazer, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, Simon Racioppa, Justin Roiland and Ben Bayouth, Andy Samberg, and Aisha Tyler.

Some of those names are already familiar to fans of The Boys. Ennis is the comic book scribe who created The Boys comics with artist Darick Robertson, Goldberg and Rogen executive produce The Boys TV series, and Tyler hosts the Prime Rewind: Inside the Boys after-show.

"Ever since we saw the animated film The Animatrix, a series of short animated films set in the universe of The Matrix, we've wanted to rip it off," Goldberg and Rogen said in a joint statement. "Today that dream has come true."

A first look image, featuring Billy's humping dog Terror, gives a glimpse at the show's animation style from Titmouse.

Diabolical The Boys animated series
Diabolical The Boys animated series

'The Boys' animated spin-off 'Diabolical' will tell the 'unseen stories' of the show's universe.

This is now the third show set in The Boys universe to officially move ahead. There's The Boys, which finished filming its third season this past year, a Hunger Games-esque college-set spin-off, and now this. If you count Seven on 7, the companion web series that releases less than 10-minute clips online every month, then it's really four.

"The irony is not lost on me," Kripke once told EW of how Amazon is expanding the world of The Boys. The show pokes fun at things like the "+" era of streaming platforms with Vought+, as well as shared cinematic universes like the MCU and DCEU, with the VCU. Now, it's like the VCU is becoming a reality.

"If one of the writers or producers comes up with an organically great idea, Amazon is really supportive about us exploring it," Kripke had said after the first spin-off was greenlit. "But the shows have to be really good. It doesn't help if it's cash-grabbing."

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