The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that he implemented a number of lessons he learned from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige when developing the upcoming college spinoff series set in the show's universe.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kripke was asked whether The Boys Presents: Varsity had taken inspiration from any college or high-school-based shows or films, seeing as the spinoff will be set in an elite academy for superheroes run by Vought Internation. The showrunner explained that he and his team preferred to compare their work to things it is not, elaborating that the new series will allow them to explore facets of the universe they wouldn't normally touch on in the mainline series.
"I think we aim to tell a very gritty and real college experience through the metaphor of the superhero lens," Kripke said. "But we’re not like Undeclared, which was a straight comedy. And we’re not Euphoria either, which got to a level of darkness I don’t think we’re doing. We’re just somewhere in between." Kripke also explained that The Boys Presents: Varsity will also include characters that just wouldn't fit into the narrative of the core show.
Kripke did say, however, that Feige's success in making the Marvel Cinematic Universe the powerhouse that it is has taught him a valuable lesson in the importance of being original. "The one lesson I’d certainly taken away from Marvel and what a brilliant job Kevin Feige does is he busts his ass to not repeat himself," Kripke said. "Especially in the early days when there weren’t quite as many [projects] but each and every hero had a totally different-feeling movie. You go from a World War 2 movie to a political thriller to a John Hughes movie." The showrunner explains that The Boys is attempting a similar approach, acknowledging that he loves the idea of a high-school story set in an R-rated superhero universe.
Filming for The Boys Presents: Varsity is set to wrap up in October this year, with actors such as Lizze Broadway, Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo and Maddie Phillips to make their debut in the show's universe. Kripke confirmed that fans can expect familiar faces to crop up during the spinoff as well. "Without spoiling anything, I think there will be several very, very cool cameos," he said. "Because it’s a Vought-run college, so crossover with Vought characters is inevitable, really."
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Boys are available to stream now on Prime Video. New episodes of Season 3 are released every Friday.
Source: Rolling Stone