Why Netflix's The Goon Adaptation Took So Long

Eric Powell’s The Goon movie has risen from the grave after an over-decade-long journey to become one of Netflix’s most anticipated CGI horror titles.

Netflix’s The Goon may have taken a long time to see an adaptation, but like an army of the undead or the broad-armed protagonist fighting against it, it keeps getting back up. Based on the comic series of the same name, The Goon movie has been in development Hell for over a decade. Promising much and delivering sparsely, Eric Powell’s delightfully bizarre project made audiences wonder if the animated horror-action flick would ever see the light of day. Now, Netflix’s The Goon is back on it’s feet, but many are wondering what that truly means for the film’s debut.

Acclaimed for its pulpy aesthetic and unique premise, The Goon warranted becoming an animated movie as far back as 2008 when their website announced that a film was in development starring Clancy Brown of Dexter fame and The Amazing Spider-Man actor Paul Giamatti. Yet despite releasing a well-received proof-of-concept trailer and having gone through several avenues to get the movie funded, The Goon’s production never began officially until around 2019. Later, despite a promise that it “would happen,” Powell’s project became abandoned as part of the Disney-Fox merger. However, during SDCC 2022 it was revealed that The Goon would have its debut on Netflix, ending over a decade of speculation.

However, the over-decade-long wait may well be one of the best things that could have happened for Netflix’s animated horror film. Not only has The Goon adaptation’s long and lengthy road to progress allowed considerable tweaks, revisions, and fine-tuning to be applied to the project, but the massive wait for Powell’s animated feature has also established a cult-like following for the movie as audiences fervently wait its promised release.

Why The Wait For The Goon Could Be Good

When The Goon’s website originally premiered the movie’s trailer, it was another time entirely in the movie landscape. Around 2008, the MCU was still in its infancy; neither The CW’s Arrowverse shows nor The Walking Dead had made their TV debut, and comic book adaptations were still finding their audiences with predominantly superhero-centric films. The comic book hype was still gaining steam, and people embraced more traditional stories, which wasn’t ideal for The Goon’s odder, more violent, and cartoony premise. Since then, popular series like The Walking Dead, The Umbrella Academy, and Resident Alien expanded audiences’ palette for less typical comic book adaptations, allowing The Goon to find a wider audience who would embrace something more offbeat. Clancy Brown even believed Deadpool’s success would “shake it loose” and free The Goon from development Hell.

It must also be said that time and development can build anticipation. For projects like Zack Synder’s Justice League cut and rumored movies like The Amazing Spider-Man 3, time has done wonders, bringing projects initially met with middling success to a new level of cult status as fans on social media demand a release. It wouldn’t be surprising, therefore, that despite all the challenges it faced getting made, a 14-year wait allows The Goon’s popularity to grow. After all, at this point, Powell’s movie isn’t just a contender, it’s an underdog story, and even if the movie isn’t what audiences expect, it may be worth the watch just to see The Goon project come to fruition.

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