Latham & Watkins has advised Netflix on the acquisition of Millarworld, the comic book company founded by Mark Millar, creator of a number of iconic characters and stories, including Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Old Man Logan. The acquisition, the first ever by Netflix, is a natural progression in the company’s effort to work directly with creators and to acquire intellectual property and ownership of stories featuring compelling characters and timeless, interwoven fictional worlds.

Netflix is the world’s leading Internet entertainment platform with 104 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Together, Netflix and Millar will bring Millarworld’s portfolio of critically and fan-acclaimed character franchises to life through films, series and kids’ shows available exclusively to Netflix members globally. Millarworld will also continue to create and publish new stories and character franchises under the Netflix label.

The Latham & Watkins team was led by London Entertainment, Sports & Media partner Libby Savill and Corporate partner Robbie McLaren, with London associates Emily Cridland, Rachael Hammond, and Stewart Robinson, Century City associates Kendall Johnson, Adam Raichilson, and Benjamin Jenkins, and Century City partner Ken Deutsch. Advice was also provided on tax matters by London partner Karl Mah and associate Amy Watkins, and on employment matters by London counsel Sarah Gadd.