'Jupiter's Legacy': Josh Duhamel as Utopian may establish him in superhero genre after DC, 'Transformers’ roles
Josh Duhamel is no stranger to sci-fi and the superhero genre and is back in familiar territory with Netflix’s ‘Jupiter’s Legacy'. He plays Sheldon Sampson/The Utopian in Steven S DeKnight’s latest superhero venture based on the comic series by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely.
‘Jupiter’s Legacy' has a theme based on the American ideal and is heavily influenced by the golden age of comics, 'Star Wars', and 'King Kong'. Like the comics, the series follows the story of the world’s first heroes who receive their abilities in the 1930s.
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Quick introduction to Netflix’s 'Jupiter’s Legacy'
While the old-gen stalwarts are still pretty much hero and god material in the present day, the next generation of kids from the family struggles to live up to the glory of their parents.
Duhamel plays the famed Utopian in the series. He is also recognized as the leader of the superhero team, The Union. His wife, Grace Sampson aka Lady Liberty is the other most powerful superhero on the planet. The couple has two children, Brandon (Andrew Horton) and Chloe (Elena Kampouris).
The official summary by Netflix reads: "After nearly a century of keeping mankind safe, the world's first generation of superheroes must look to their children to continue the legacy. But tensions rise as the young superheroes, hungry to prove their worth, struggle to live up to their parents' legendary public reputations — and exacting personal standards.”
“Based on the graphic novels by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Jupiter's Legacy is an epic superhero drama that spans decades and navigates the complex dynamics of family, power, and loyalty."
What gives Josh Duhamel an edge in the superhero genre?
Duhamel’s work in the superhero genre thrust him into the limelight. Duhamel's recurring roles in Michael Bay's 'Transformers' may have established the fact he could make a case for himself as a solid action hero in the sci-fi and action genre, but it was his impressive voice role portrayal of Harvey Dent in ‘Batman: The Long Halloween: Part One’ that showed he had the potential to shoulder important roles in the superhero genre that usually comes with a hefty dose of action.
What 'Jupiter’s Legacy' does is it gives Duhamel a chance to cement himself as a frontrunner when it comes to looking at roles in superhero flicks. With the DCEU and the MCU having a list of projects on their roster, and with the 48-year-old already having proved his mettle in starring and delivering in some big-budget sci-fi movies, the much-anticipated Netflix series might just be the establishing of his superhero career.
Given his rich background of work, it's unbelievable that Duhamel never wholly suited up before 'Jupiter's Legacy'. Earlier on in his career, he had auditioned for a wide range of roles but never took himself as a "costumed crimefighter" and when finally things started to take shape, he thought his time to be a superhero had "come and gone." Of course, fate had other plans.
Even though he thoroughly enjoyed portraying a character that shot laser beams and zipped around the world in 12 seconds, what Duhamel thought gave the Utopian an edge was the powerlessness when it came to communicating with his daughter and son. "It makes him vulnerable and relatable in a weird way," he told TV Line.
'Jupiter's Legacy' is available for streaming on Netflix.