The Umbrella Academy star Aidan Gallagher is very keen on the idea of returning to voice Five in an animated adaptation of the show. “It would be an automatic yes from me.”
Over the years, Netflix has adapted myriad comics into TV shows: from The Sandman to Sweet Tooth, and so on. But out of all of them, the streamer’s live-action adaptation of Gerard Way’s whimsical superhero series The Umbrella Academy is right up there with the best, if not top of the pile.
Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy ran for 5 years, wrapping up with its fourth season in August 2024. All things considered, the show had a great run, even if it did lose some momentum and viewership towards the end. The series adapted core concepts of the first three volumes of the comic book series written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. It surpassed the comics, delivering a completely original ending. Overall, it was an extremely loose adaptation, allowing for creative freedom to explore different avenues in live-action, but there still remains some desire for an adaptation that faithfully adapts the comics.
Of course, we’ve heard of popular live-action shows getting more faithful animated adaptations before. Look no further than The Walking Dead, where creator Robert Kirkman is extremely keen to see one happen. Such an animated adaptation would suit The Umbrella Academy too. But you don’t need us to tell you — the show’s star Aidan Gallagher (Five) recently discussed the possibility.
“I think as an animated show, it would free up the show,” Gallagher said during an appearance on a recent episode of Delulu with Ryan Lu. “You’d be able to do comic book stuff that we couldn’t do in a live-action show. You could be more creative, I think. It would be an automatic yes from me if they decided to do an animated version.”
Beyond the potential of an animated adaptation, Gallagher is waiting in the wings and reads to jump into any project Gerard Way works on. “Also if Gerard ends up doing anything else that isn’t comic book related and he asks, it’s an automatic yes,” he added.
Naturally, no further Umbrella Academy projects have been confirmed — but we’re not gonna stop talking about them. For now, Gallagher has dozens of memories from the live-action show. “I have a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos that I would love to post at some point of like these lovely memories of making the show.”
The Umbrella Academy is streaming in full on Netflix.
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