SDCC: Amazon's "The Boys" Will Deconstruct Superheroes

Amazon's "The Boys" has been picking up tremendous steam in the lead-up to its premiere. With a giant promotional visit to San Diego Comic Con, news also broke that the show had already been renewed for a second season. In a market some would describe as over-saturated with superhero content, what's most refreshingly subversive about "The Boys" is that it takes a deconstructed approach to telling stories about superheroes.

Show-runner Eric Kripke is positive in his sentiments towards Amazon's support of the show. "They were the perfect choice because they bought the pitch. They have [given] an incredible amount of creative freedom, the streaming format allows you to really open up the world and explore the characters and get as outrageous as the show wants and needs to be. They have the budgets, it has to have the quality of the superhero stuff that's happening in the movies. It cannot eel like a parody. They have the resources to give us that and they've been amazing in giving us the chance to make this show."

The cast is full of familiar faces from fans of film and television media. Karl Urban is no stranger to major franchises, and other stars include Antony Starr ("Banshee"), Simon Pegg is guest-starring as Hughie's father (a fact made all the more amusing due to the fact that Hughie in the comics was a character based on Pegg himself), Chace Crawford ("Gossip Girl"), and Karen Fukuhara ("Suicide Squad"). It's especially important for Fukuhara to be taking on this role, as Japanese talents are very rarely included on big projects like these, and Fukuhara has previously shared on the show's press tour that her character "the Female" was gifted a name. This was a much needed update to the source material.

Fukuhara's previous forray into action was in the Academy-Award winning, hit blockbuster "Suicide Squad". The Female will be something entirely new for Fukuhara to play. "The main thing is that I'm not wielding a sword, but I had a conversation with Eric at the beginning of shooting last year. He wanted something more animalistic, something that's not refined. Katana was more martial arts and very deliberate action. I love playing the Female because you just never know what's going to come because the way she fights is out of the ordinary."

Jack Quaid was elated upon learning that Simon Pegg would be playing his father. "Simon's my hero. I absolutely love all of his work and when I first read the script, I didn't realise immediately that it was based on a comic book. I just thought somebody took the world that we live in today and put superheroes in it. After I got the role, I devoured all the comics and I realised, 'Okay, that guy looks familiar.' It's not necessarily like he's played the role but I did feel like I was stepping into some pretty big shoes. But just the fact that I got to work with him as my dad, that was a dream come true. He's the greatest."

Despite his many appearances in big franchises, Karl Urban is moved by the experience of working on this show. "I've just had such a fantastic time working on the show with this incredibly talented cast. I love working in the world of The Boys. What appealed to me about this show was these blue-collar young men and women who decide to take on The Man, the most super powerful. I was very intrigued as to how you sustain that conflict when you have people of supreme power. How do you take them down? For me personally, it seems like every time I turn on the television these days, I get to see it in current events. I think our show is quite timely and I can't wait for it to get out there."

"The Boys" will premiere on Amazon Prime on July 26.

Watch the press conference for "The Boys" from SDCC here: