George R.R Martin fans have gotten recent news of his long-running anthology novel series Wild Cards becoming a TV show. Universal Cable Productions has agreed to develop the novels into series in the near future. Martin is also confident that his novels will be adapted into several interlocking TV shows in the future based on the Wild Cards universe.
The new TV show is set to have Melinda M. Snodgrass as a writer and producer, who is known for her work on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Gregory Noveck, producer for the 2010 RED action film, will also join the project as another producer.
The Wild Cards novels take place in an alternative timeline in 1946, where an alien virus infected Earth that kills 90% of humankind. In the bare planet, 9% of humans were turned into ‘joker’ characters with odd disabilities and the last 1% called “aces’ were given valuable gifts. The novel series debuted in 1986 and since then, Martin and about 30 other collaborative authors, have released 21 published books.
The Wild Cards franchise consists of games, books, and comics. The Wild Cards series is depicted almost as a large Marvel and DC comic’s enterprise. Critics and longtime fans comment the novels are more realistic and carry consistent storylines compared to past superhero comic books.
Martin, who worked previously with HBO to develop his biggest TV success Game of Thrones, currently has developmental rights only with HBO. Meaning that he can only be a part of his novel’s adaptations as a consult for the beginning of the development phase of the project. Hopefully, with the new Universal Cable Production deal, he could be a part of the Wild Cards show as a producer and have his artistic vision attributed in production.
Martin assumes that since the growth of superhero television shows, Wild Cards will be a hit with young audiences. He also told press that it will take a year or two for Universal Cable Productions Wild Cards show to emerge on TV. Universal Cable Productions is known for hit shows like USA’s Mr. Robot, Syfy’s 12 Monkeys, and Hulu’s Difficult People.
