The Umbrella Academy showruner explores spin-off possibilities for characters on Netflix series
The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman says there could be spin-offs of the Netflix series, which began airing its second season on Netflix this past week.
The series, which is based off Gerard Way’s comic book series, centers around the Hargreeves family amid the backdrop of an oncoming apocalypse.
Blackman, speaking with Digital Spy on Sunday, said Klaus, Ben or Diego Hargreeves (played by Robert Sheehan, Justin H. Min and David Castañeda, respectively) could make for intriguing characters to pivot off of for a new show.
The latest: Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman says there could be spinoffs of the Netflix series. The cast includes: (L To R) Aidan Gallagher, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda and Ellen Page
‘I think Klaus and Ben, or Klaus and Diego – any of those, to me, would be wonderful spin-offs,’ Blackman said. ‘I think you could do a limited series with them for four or six episodes, and it would be great. I think even Robert could do his own little thing about Klaus.’
Blackman said that the cast and crew ‘would all be up for it … because we all love working together.’
He added: ‘Look, you never want to overdo something. But if there’s an appetite for it, I mean … we really get along well.
‘None of us are from Toronto, where we shoot, so we’re all away from our real families, so we’re the family they get when they’re there. It’s a nice group of people.’
Cohesive: Blackman said that the cast and crew ‘would all be up for it … because we all love working together.’ The cast was snapped in May of 2019 in LA
Possibilities: David Castaneda and Robert Sheehan, seen last year in Toronto, both play roles that could be made into spin-offs
Blackman was joined in the chat by Tom Hopper and Sheehan, who said his Klaus character could provide a good centerpiece for a spin-off show.
‘It’s a great source of creativity … and to get to do more of that?’ he said. ‘Absolute-bots. Me and Mr. Hopper have unfinished business on screen. I think we have more to do, definitely, in Umbrella or a spin-off.’
The actor said that he’s ‘loved this whole experience’ of being on the show, which debuted last year on the streaming service.
Catch it now: The Umbrella Academy’s second season is now streaming on Netflix
‘Getting to play Klaus, it doesn’t feel like coming to work, really,’ he said. ‘It’s really fun, and it’s about accessing that sort of trickster god energy. It’s quite a natural innocence.’
Hopper added, ‘I love the dynamic between Klaus and Luther as well, because Luther is so by the book, and Klaus is the absolute opposite. So I feel that there’s stuff to be experimented with there, much further.’
The Umbrella Academy’s second season is now streaming on Netflix.