Eric Kripke adapted the Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson comic book The Boys into Prime Video’s widely successful satirical superhero show that just wrapped its fifth and final series, further expanding The Boys’ blood-splattered and sweary superhero universe into two spin-off shows, Gen V and Vought Rising, the latter of which is in the edit for a planned 2027 release.
Previously, Kripke created the hit WB/CW fantasy drama series Supernatural, which ran from 2005‑20, and was showrunner for its first five seasons. He later created NBC sci-fi series Revolution and, with Shawn Ryan (The Shield), the network’s 2016 time-travel show Timeless.
A graduate of the University of South California, Kripke’s further credits include The WB’s 2003 TV series Tarzan, which he wrote and created, 2005 horror film Boogeyman and 2018’s The House With A Clock In Its Walls, for which he wrote the screenplay adaptation of John Bellairs’ novel and produced.
What is your office like?
My office is in West Los Angeles; we keep every element of The Boys universe under one roof. I have Han Solo’s gun, some Saturn awards and a figure of Ash from Evil Dead. I’m looking at Ambrosius, our octopus-themed sex toy that [retail chain] Adam and Eve put out for The Boys. Apparently, it didn’t sell very well but I love that they made it.
What’s the first thing you do at your desk each morning?
Return emails. I can’t have emails in my inbox. I’m OCD that way. My son, I look at his icon and it’s 7,342 unanswered emails, and it gives me anxiety.
What was your first job in the industry?
A college friend of mine, between my sophomore and junior years, was able to wrangle half a million dollars to make this independent movie [Beach House] and needed people to work on it. I said, “I want to be the first AD.” In a shocking lack of judgment, he let me do that. On my first day, the director of photography said, “Can you clear the set? I need a little space to work.” I walked up to the gaffer and said, “Get off the set.” The director of photography waved me over and said, “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” I said, “No.” He said, “Stick with me. I’ll walk you through it. In a couple days you’ll get it.” He taught me that job.
Who helped you most when you first started out?
My friends. We all graduated film school together, and to have a group of people that can read your scripts, give you honest notes, maybe slip your script to a producer, that organic unit all helping each other was insanely valuable.
What was your favourite film growing up?
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial made me want to be a filmmaker.
What are you most proud of professionally?
The Boys.
What do you like best about your job?
Teamwork. You get to work with fiercely intelligent people from every conceivable discipline, and the only thing they have in common is they’re all brilliant.
What is the biggest challenge facing the business today?
There are a lot. There’s runaway production from Los Angeles, shorter episode orders, less work all around. The thing I’m most worried about is we’re not training the next generation of television writer/producers. I’m doing the best I can, but I’m one guy. We need dozens of skilled producers.
What book are you reading?
Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger, which I paged through a million years ago and said it was time to read start to finish.
What’s the biggest professional mistake you’ve learned from?
I’m not a big believer in mistakes. I tell young filmmakers, “Not only should you not be afraid of failure, you should run towards it as passionately as you can.” That’s how you succeed. Be lusty for failure. My first TV show was Tarzan on The WB. It was horrible. I made every mistake possible. My next job was Supernatural. I walked into it with the attitude of, “I’m going to do the opposite of everything I did on Tarzan.” And it turns out, when I did that, I was a darn good showrunner.
What are you working on now and what’s next?
Vought Rising. Outside of that, a writer I worked with on Supernatural is developing a show. There’s a Second World War thing I’m developing. I’ve been in production for so long, I’m delighted to sit down and talk story. It’s like a warm bath.
What job would you do if you didn’t work in TV and film?
A vagrant. I have no other marketable skills. I believe anyone who succeeds in this business succeeds because of the persistence of knowing it’s this or the gutter.
Where do you want to be in five years’ time?
Producing more television. It would be fun to dabble in movies. The main thing I want is a reputation of quality. That’s what I hope. And spending an incredible amount of time with my family.
Who would play you in a biopic of your life, and who would direct?
Someone more handsome and less ‘character actor’ than who would ultimately play me. Who would direct? I can’t imagine anyone would slum that much, so me, ’cause that’s the only way that piece of shit’s ever getting made.
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