Posted in: Amazon Studios, TV | Tagged: the boys

The Boys Season 5: Vought Makes the Case for "Great" Pope Homelander

Over in the universe of Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys, Vought International makes the case that "Pope Homelander" has a nice ring to it.

The marketing team behind Prime Video and Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys (as well as spinoff series Gen V) pretty much sits right up here compared to everyone else. No disrespect intended, it's just that we can't remember a show that's been this naturally immersive over the course of four seasons – keeping fans invested and connected with a ton of in-universe content between seasons. And yes, as we're about to show you, they also "twist the knife" along the way, reflecting the madness that's going on under the current U.S. administration.

For example, POtuS Donald Trump and The White House posting about Trump being considered for Pope as the Vatican begins the conclave to select a new head of the Catholic Church. Well, if Trump can make a pitch for the position, why can't Homelander (Antony Starr)? "There are many worthy candidates, and this afternoon, you can add one more to the list – Homelander. Selfless as ever, our greatest hero just offered to assume the world's holiest position if called upon. Faithful, forgiving, and flawless in every way – he'd make a GREAT pope!" Vought International wrote in a statement released earlier today, along with a key art graphic showing what that would possibly look like:

Eric Kripke on The Boys a Being "Political Show" Now

During an interview with Forbes from earlier this year, Kripke discussed how the streaming series has leaned into being a political show and how current events impact the season's writing (but not the show's endgame). "Look, I think 'The Boys' probably, for better or worse, is a political show at this point. I think season four was political. I think the world has sort of grown to resemble the show more and more in a way that's not great. And so, we just sort of lean into it. I mean, the show is about why and how you should question your leaders. You should question anyone who stands in front of you. You should question anyone who is pitching you simple answers to complicated problems and who is saying that they're the only ones who can save you – like those are dangerous people. Obviously, we're not shy about saying that, but I take a little bit of pride in that for our bananas superhero show, we're one of the most current shows on TV in terms of like reflecting exactly what's happening in the world at this moment, and that's great. It's amazing for a superhero show to be doing that. So, I'm really proud that we pulled that off," Kripke shared, noting that over the seasons, the writers began to embrace how the series and real life were reflecting one another.

After noting that not all of the scripts were written at the time of the interview last month, Kripke shared how current events routinely impact the scripts as they evolve from first draft to filming-approved. "I mean, look – things adjust all the time. That happened in season one when like the 'Me Too' movement broke in the middle of the season, and we had to go back and rethink a lot of things. So, we're sort of used to this organic movement of the scripts always transforming a little bit, based on what's happening in the world. So, that doesn't really scare us. That's pretty par for the course. You're always rewriting these things right up until the day before they shoot and, sometimes, the day they shoot. So, we're used to changing things as the world changes – but yes, we definitely adjust scripts as new events come to light," the showrunner explained.

But in terms of where the series and characters are heading during their final run, Kripke adds that the "big picture" endgame plans don't change. "We have, in terms of the big picture of the story, like it stays the same. I mean, especially in the final season when every character has to reach their climax – like we've had those in our back pocket for a while and this season is mostly just figuring out how to get there, you know? So, it's more like the stuff that the characters talk about that's happening in society, and some of the joke targets we're taking, and some of that stuff changes, but the main bones of it stay pretty similar."

Eric Kripke Is "Working Hard to Not Sell Out"

"We're gonna look at the chips we have on the table right now. I live in absolute terror of becoming the thing we've been satirizing for five years," Kripke shared during a recent conversation with Collider, explaining why he continues to be cautious about expanding the show's universe too much, too soon. "The thing about 'The Boys' is that it's punk rock, and it hurts extra hard when punk rockers sell out. I'm really working hard to not sell out. We do these shows because we really care about them and we're passionate about them, and they can tell fresh stories that we can't tell in 'The Boys' and not just be about rapid expansion but be very careful and mindful about the choices we're making and being able to defend why we're making them. I worry about that every single day," he added. "I just want people to say, maybe it's for them, and maybe it isn't for them, but gotta hand it to them, they maintain a consistent level of quality."

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