One of the main characters of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys, Hughie Campbell, bares more than a passing resemblance to Simon Pegg, and it was hoped that the actor would play the character if there were ever an adaptation of the series, but that didn't happen. When Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke began casting for their upcoming Amazon TV series based on The Boys, they cast Jack Quaid (THE HUNGER GAMES) as Hughie, but it seems that Simon Pegg will have a part to play in the series after all.
During a surprise appearance at New York Comic-Con, Simon Pegg joined the cast of The Boys on stage where it was announced that Pegg would be playing the father of Hughie Campbell. It may not be what everyone expected, but it's certainly nice to have Simon Pegg onboard in some form. This will also reunite Pegg with his STAR TREK co-star Karl Urban, who plays Billy Butcher on The Boys, and Urban joked that the pair "have a competition to see who can be in the most franchises. We are a couple of franchise whores." A cheesy family photo was also released in order to celebrate the casting.
The Boys is set in an America where the planet's superheroes have been morally corrupted by their celebrity status and often take advantage of their powers in reckless displays of behavior which threaten the safety of the world. Billy Butcher (Urban) runs a group of vigilantes known as The Boys, who do what they can to keep watch over the superheroes, and, if need be, eliminate them. The Boys are also looking to take down Vought, a giant conglomerate which manages the superheros. Elisabeth Shue plays Madelyn Stillwell, VP of Hero Management at Vought, and she takes center stage in a teaser which comes in the form of a corporate video. Check that out below.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Elisabeth Shue, Karen Fukuhara, Laz Alonso, Tomer Kapon, Anthony Starr, Dominique McElligott, Jesse T. Usher, Chance Crawford, and the eight-episode series will premiere on Amazon Prime in 2019.