Game of Thrones fans may have plenty more to look forward to in the future, as Syfy Films (a joint venture between the Syfy Channel and Universal) have acquired the screen rights to George R.R. Martin’s “Wild Cards” anthology series.
“Wild Cards” is a superhero anthology that is co-written and co-edited by Martin, which first came out back in 1987.
The series of books and stories set in a universe where an alien virus has been unleashed over New York City; survivors of the virus include Jokers (typically deformed and grotesque) and Aces, who have special superhero powers.
Characters in the series evolve and change over time, with some dying off while others retire, giving a much more fluid story that has evolved over the years just as the cast of writers and editors has evolved as well.
“We had a love of comics books and superheroes that we grew up on,” Martin said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “But we approached the material differently. We wanted to do it in a grittier, more adult manner than what we were seeing in the ’80s. It’s something that many other people have been doing in the decades ever since.”
Melinda Snodgrass (one of the co-creators and co-writers of “Wild Cards”) will write the screenplay for the project, which is also Syfy Films’ first acquisition after its launch in 2010.
