Amazon Prime Video to follow-up The Boys with a new mature-rated comic book adaptation

Amazon is betting big on another comic book licence that it hopes can reach similar heights to The Boys. It will likely also hope it can match Netflix's The Gentlemen by even stealing one of the stars of the Guy Ritchie movie that preceded the series.

Charlie Hunnam, also of Sons of Anarchy fame, has joined the cast of Criminal – a new, hard-hitting drama based on the Image Comics books by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Originally created as a mini-series for Marvel imprint Icon, the Criminal books have become hugely popular for their realistic take on old-school gangster themes – especially as they subvert typical genre clichés in clever fashion.

They should make for a great Prime Video TV series too, although we wonder whether there'll be a title change by the time it's released, considering the similarly-named Netflix Criminal UK, France, Spain and Germany shows that are already available.

It could be a while anyway, as the production wagon has only started rolling, it seems. Brubaker and Phillips are said to be executive producing, alongside Jordan harper, Sarah Carbiener, and Phillip Barnett.

The directors attached to the project so far are Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, who have also helmed Captain Marvel, Billions, and Masters of the Air together. They will collaborate on the first four episodes with other directors yet to be announced.

Also landing roles in the first season of Criminal are Adria Arjona (Good Omens) and Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water).

It's worth noting that, if the show is successful and continues beyond an initial run, the comic books tend to tell different stories per collection, but based in the same world and with a few crossovers. It could be that we see a new cast per season, therefore.

If you're looking for another mature comic book-based TV series to binge before Criminal finally hits the streaming service, you can always check out Invincible. Even though it animated, it is very much R-rated as newbie superhero Mark Grayson discovers and develops his powers amid a sea of blood and gore.

Don't say we didn't warn you.