Dark Horse Comics Preparing for Major Hollywood Sale, According to Reports

Dark Horse comics might just be next in the long line of production houses looking to sell their intellectual property, entirely or parts of it, to major business houses. Dark Horse Entertainment, the television and film arm of Dark Horse Comics, might become a part of a major Hollywood banner or a raging OTT platform like Netflix, Disney+, or Hulu.

Dark Horse Comics is the house that has created franchises like Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy, Mask, and many more. While DC and Marvel usually hog all the spotlight when it comes to major comic book production houses, but Dark Horse has significantly produced cult classics over the years. Given its fame in off-beat stories and characters, it is only logical that Dark Horse would be looking to expand its avenues by selling out its subsidiary production house, Dark Horse Entertainment.

According to a report by Bloomberg that focuses on production companies selling their IP to major businesses, Dark Horse can be considered next in line of companies selling their IP to major Hollywood houses and beyond.

Add comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics to the list… The company is working with an adviser to weigh options that could include a sale, according to people familiar with the matter. A representative for Dark Horse couldn’t be reached for comment.

Bloomberg’s report also mentions other companies who have walked the same path: Endeavor sold its studio subsidiary Endeavor Content (co-producer of shows like Hulu’s Normal People) to South Korean media company CJ ENM back in November. Alvin and the Chipmunks owner Bagdasarian Productions also announced that it would sell the iconic characters for $300 million last November, with ViacomCBS as a potential buyer.

Fans of Dark Horse should note that selling Dark Horse Entertainment to a major Hollywood banner or an iconic streaming platform like Hulu, Netflix, or Disney+ would give the buyer rights to other exclusive Dark Horse IPs as well, which would open the door to a wide range of possibilities. Dark Horse Entertainment previously made a deal with Netflix for two seasons of The Umbrella Academy, starring the likes of Elliot Page, Aidan Gallagher, Robert Sheehan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, and more. The show aired on Netflix in 2019 and 2020, with a third season planned for next year.

If the sale of Dark Horse Entertainment to a similar banner goes through, it might gift fans some extraordinary shows worth looking forward to, including perhaps a Hellboy or a Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense series.

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