George R.R. Martin Superhero Show ‘Wild Cards’ In Development
George R.R. Martin has announced that Universal Cable Productions are adapting his book series Wild Cards into a TV show.
Posting on his livejournal account yesterday (presumably taking a break from those Game Of Thrones books he still hasn’t finished… get a move on George!), he said “Universal Cable Productions (UCP) has acquired the rights to adapt our long-running Wild Cards series of anthologies and mosaic novels for television. Development will begin immediately on what we hope will be the first of several interlocking series.”
Wild Cards is set in an alternate history of post-WWII USA, after an airborne alien virus is released over New York, which goes on to infect the world. Developed by a noble family on the planet Takis as a bioweapon which rewrites DNA, they unleash it on the unsuspecting human population, due to our genetic makeup being similar to the inhabitants of Takis. Although the virus kills or debilitates 99% of people that come into contact with it, the remaining 1% develop superhuman abilities.
Fans of Game Of Thrones will be glad to know George is not working directly on the show, so it shouldn’t distract him from his current writing commitments. Melinda M. Snodgrass, who George describes as “right-hand man on Wild Cards since its inception… and seasoned television writer/producer”, and Gregory Noveck (RED, Jeremiah) are to produce.
Universal Cable Productions are responsible for such shows as Suits, 12 Monkeys, Mr. Robot, Killjoys, The Magicians, Ascension and Colony.
Bear in mind the show is only in early development so anything could happen, but George stated “I hope, I cross my fingers, that the Wild Cards will be coming to your home screens in the next year or two.”
