“Clear skies and tailwinds” might be the next “Winter is coming.”
The rights to Wild Cards, a long-running superhero series overseen by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, has been acquired by Universal Cable productions. According to the author, a TV show will be ready “in the next year or two.”
The 23-book series dates back to 1987, and grew out of a role-playing game overseen by the author himself. The card-themed books take place in a post-World War II alternate history where humans contract a “Wild Card” alien virus that kills 90% of those it infects. Another 9% of the population develops crippling physical conditions (henceforth known as “Jokers”) while 1% suddenly have superhero abilities (the “Aces”).
Writes Martin on his LiveJournal blog: “Wild Cards is a series of 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 consistent), with an enormous cast of characters both major and minor. There are thousands of stories to be told in the world of the Wild Cards.”
It’s good news for GoT fans who might be jonesing for more stories set in an expansive, shared universe (and who are upset that the TV series is ending after season eight).
Note for fans anxious about Martin’s next, much-delayed Game of Thrones book: he won’t be writing the new series.
“My own development deal is exclusive to HBO, and I am writing The Winds of Winter, as I believe most of you will recall … but I have every confidence in Melinda Snodgrass and Gregory Noveck. They know and love the Wild Cards universe almost as well as I do, and I think they will do a terrific job. Wish them luck.”
Photo of George R.R. Martin: Nick Briggs/HBO
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