The official trailer for Gen V, the first live-action TV spin-off from The Boys, is here – and it looks like it'll give the mainline show a run for its money in the R-rated stakes.
Revealed yesterday (September 6), the teaser is instantly recognizable as a series that exists within The Boys' universe. How so? Because of its penchant for hyperviolence, sex, swearing, and numerous nods and cameos to the hit Prime Video show's wider franchise.
If that isn't enough to intrigue, maybe Gen V's bizarre, R-rated puppet scenes – complete with their own gore-styled violence in the form of blood-like confetti – will appeal to your dark comedy sensibilities.
But enough chatter. Take a look at Gen V's official redband trailer below:
Gen V is the second spin-off show set in Amazon's adaptation on The Boys graphic novels. The first, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, was an animated anthology series that largely danced around events within this satirical superhero-based universe.
Gen V, though, forges closer ties to The Boys' main series, aka one of the best Prime Video shows around. For one, there's the statue of Homelander that takes pride of place outside Godolkin University – Gen V's primary location. Next, there are the aforementioned cameos from some of The Boys' ensemble cast, including Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie), and Adam Bourke (P.J Byrne). A-Train (Jessie T Usher), a member of the world's most popular superhero team called The Seven, is also set to make an appearance.
But Gen V won't focus on characters we've seen previously in The Boys. The show, which was dubbed a Hunger Games-style series upon its initial announcement, will introduce a new group of superpowered college students, who have ambitions on becoming the Seven's next generation of heroes. Or, given the Supe-on-Supe action we see as part of the above teaser, a new batch of supervillains for the world to deal with.
According to The Boys' official X (formerly Twitter) account, Gen V takes place between season 3 and The Boys season 4. With no release date confirmed for the latter yet, it's possible that Gen V will set up key plot points for the main show's next installment.
If we’re clearin up the timeline, @genv takes place between S3 and S4. So the kiddos at God U all saw Homelander laser a guy’s head off to the sound of thunderous applause pic.twitter.com/SYwH0raJgDSeptember 6, 2023
With all of that housekeeping out of the way, here's Gen V's official story synopsis: "Set in the diabolical world of The Boys, Gen V expands the universe to Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes – preferably with lucrative endorsements.
"You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they're put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?"
As for who'll actually star in Gen V, its sizable cast list includes – deep breath – Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, Marco Pigossi, Clancy Brown, and Jason Ritter.
Marvel's Agent Carter writing duo Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters led development on the spin-off, with numerous individuals involved in Prime Video's take on The Boys, including the main series' showrunner Eric Kripke, among its executive producing team.
Gen V debuts exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, September 29 with a three-episode premiere. New episodes will release weekly until the explosive season finale on November 3.
