HBO is in Talks to Join the Comic Book Game with Scarlet
HBO has decided to step up its game by partnering with Icon Comics. Could this be a move against Netflix?
Superhero shows are ridiculously hot right now. It feels like every major network has its own superhero property in play, though there have been a few casualties. Both the troubled Constantine and the great but underperforming Agent Carter were canceled before their time. Netflix will soon have three superhero shows in play (Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage) and it looks like HBO is stepping up to the plate.
According to a report over on Deadline, HBO is prepping its first superhero series. The new series, Scarlet, comes form the co-creator of Jessica Jones. This is hot off the presses from the ATX TV Festival, and hasn’t actually been confirmed. Still, it’s coming from Brian Michael Bendis, the writer himself. It’s also worth noting that Bendis currently has another show, Powers, based on the series of the same name.
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This is not the first time that HBO has been rumored to be getting its own comic series. A previous report stated that a Watchmen series was in the works, though that has not yet materialized. Marvel would be a big get for HBO, but it’s obvious at this point that Scarlet is only in the planning stages.
Scarlet — not to be confused with Scarlet Witch — is about a woman out for revenge. It’s on the edgy side and could make for a great fit with HBO while avoiding the more traditional superhero genre. It’s possible that HBO isn’t interested in a standard superhero series — this is more in line with something like A History of Violence.
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While there are talks going on at HBO about Scarlet, this should only be treated as one possibility. If Scarlet is being optioned it could end up at a different network if talks with HBO fall through. Still, this could be an exciting first step.