Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has announced that his superhero anthology series Wild Cards is being developed for television by Universal Cable Productions.
“The shared world of the Wild Cards diverged from our own on September 15, 1946 when an alien virus was released in the skies over Manhattan, and spread across an unsuspecting Earth,” states Martin on his blog. “Of those infected, 90% died horribly, drawing the black queen, 9% were twisted and deformed into jokers, while a lucky 1% became blessed with extraordinary and unpredictable powers and became aces. The world was never the same.”
“It is a series of interlocking books, graphic novels, games… but most of all it is a universe, as large and diverse and exciting as the comic book universes of Marvel and DC (though somewhat grittier, and considerably more realistic and more consistent), with an enormous cast of characters both major and minor,” he continues.”
Launching in 1987, Wild Cards spans twenty-two volumes to date (with a twenty-third set for release this month), with a host of authors contributing and Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass serving as editors. Snodgrass will serve as executive producer on the series, due to Martin’s exclusive agreement with HBO.
