Mark Millar on the future of superheroes, new project ‘The Chosen One’: ‘It’ll come back’

If Stan Lee was the “old guard” titan of the comics industry, then Mark Millar is the new real deal. 

The Scottish writer/producer, 53, has written prolifically for DC and Marvel comics — including storylines that inspired the “Avengers,” “Captain America: Civil War” and “Logan” movies — and has also penned his own comics that were adapted into hit movies: “Kick-Ass” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” 

His latest project is “The Chosen One” on Netflix, his third show for the streamer following “Super Crooks” and “Jupiter’s Legacy.”

Based on the graphic novel trilogy “American Jesus” that Millar co-wrote with Peter Gross, the series follows 12-year-old Jodie (Bobby Luhnow), a boy growing up in Mexico who’s being raised by a single mom (Dianna Agron).

After Jodie survives a freak accident, he begins performing Jesus-like miracles such as turning water into wine and healing the sick. 

The graphic novel came out in 2004, and Millar said there’s a reason it took so long to hit the screen.

“I  was quite lucky. The very first thing that I tried was a thing called ‘Wanted’ that was picked up as a [2008] movie with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy,” Millar told The Post . “‘American Jesus’ was the second thing that I tried. So, because ‘Wanted’ was a hot property, suddenly all these producers came out of nowhere wanting to make the movie. I was really excited, but I’m actually quite careful with my adaptations, because I really like the books. I want to make sure they’re OK. 

“So, I turned down every offer for 15 years because everybody had a terrible take on it,” he said. “Somebody wanted to do it as a romantic thing like ‘Twilight’! It was getting ridiculous. I’m glad I waited.”

Millar said he does not like to be pigeonholed into any one genre.

“I remember when I started out, they were like ‘He’s the guy who does family friendly stuff.’ Then the next thing I did was the opposite, and people were like, ‘He’s the guy who does the sweary violent stuff,’” he said. “So I was like, ‘Now it’s time to do something thoughtful, with no action.’ As soon as people think they have me pegged, I like the idea of doing something different.”

Millar, who is well-versed in the superhero world, said he’s keeping an eye on the current state of the industry, with movies such as “The Flash” flailing at the box office. 

“These movies generally weren’t very good prior to 1999,” he said. “They were usually made by people who didn’t understand or care about the material, with two exceptions, Richard Donner with ‘Superman’ and Tim Burton with ‘Batman.’

“So it was amazing in 1999 when Marvel cracked the code and made these things great. It wasn’t just that the technology caught up to the material — it was that the people who made these movies treated the with real dignity,” he said. “[The genre] had a great run, and kind of ended in 2019 with ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ That felt like the last truly great superhero movie. 

“Everything since then … I feel that the people involved haven’t loved the material the way that Sam Raimi loves ‘Spiderman,’ or Christopher Nolan [who] read 50 years worth of Batman comics before he started doing ‘Batman.’”

He is optimistic about the future, however.

“I think it will come back. These movies made too much money for them to fail,” he said. “What I know from talking to friends at DC and Marvel is there’s a massive course-correct being planned, they need to get it back on track. Getting some people with an interesting voice again is critical.

“Every [director]  who did a superhero movie for the first 10-15 years had success on the entertainment scene before that,” he said, “and unexpected choices were made, as opposed to just jobbing directors who treated it like any other gig.”