Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s latest collaborative project, “Sex Criminals,” landed a series order at Prime Video on Thursday, securing an eight-episode adaptation of the acclaimed Image Comics title by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Tze Chun co-created the limited series project with the Oscar nominees.
Gordon, Nanjiani and Chun will serve as co-creators and executive producers, with Gordon and Nanjiani executive producing through their Winter Coat Films banner. Nanjiani will also appear in the series in a small role. Dani Melia will executive produce for Winter Coat Films. Dani Gorin will executive produce and Louie Hayes will serve as a producer for LuckyChap, which is also producing the series, alongside original comic creators Fraction and Zdarsky.
Based on the Eisner Award–winning comic, the series centers on Suze, a woman with a singular superpower: When she has sex, time stops. She eventually meets Jon, who shares the same ability, and the two embark on a criminal spree, robbing banks during their frozen moments together.
“’Sex Criminals’ is the exact kind of thing Winter Coat aims to bring to life: love stories in weird places,” Gordon and Nanjiani said in a joint statement. “From the moment LuckyChap brought us Matt and Chip’s comic book, we knew we wanted to bring these characters to screen and are so excited to do that alongside Tze Chun and Prime Video.”
Chun, who has long championed the project, called the series a personal passion. “I’ve been a fan of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s ‘Sex Criminals’ since the first issue hit the stands,” Chun said. “This has been my dream project for over a decade, and co-creating this show with Emily and Kumail has been one of the creative highlights of my career.”
Fraction and Zdarsky said in a joint statement they were thrilled to see the adaptation move forward, jokingly calling the work “our dumb comic” while praising the creative team behind the series.
LuckyChap described the show as “a romantic comedy like no other,” highlighting its unconventional love story and creative team, adding, “We are so honored to be part of bringing Matt and Chip’s beloved, wildly original comic to life alongside the dream team of Emily, Kumail, Tze and our partners at Amazon.”
Amazon MGM Studios echoed that sentiment, with Peter Friedlander, the studio’s global head of television, calling the series “bold, hilarious and wildly original.”
“With a love story at its core that feels both deeply human and completely unexpected, ‘Sex Criminals’ is an unforgettable property,” Friedlander said. “We’re thrilled to bring this world and its characters to our global Prime Video audience.”
No premiere date has been announced.
