Ever since Game of Thrones became such a huge hit for HBO, Hollywood has been eyeing the next property to adapt from creator George R.R. Martin. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, SyFy Films has acquired the film rights to Martin's superhero anthology, Wild Cards.
Set in an alternate universe where an alien virus has killed 90% of the human race, Wild Card is a series novels and short-stories that were first published in 1987. The books detail the exploits of a small number of survivors who are granted special abilities after the virus strikes and the ways in which they use these newfound powers. Along with sophisticated comic books like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, Wild Cards showed the world a more mature and intelligent brand of superhero story.
It's not certain which short-stories the film will focus on, but the producers have dozens to choose from. In the article, Gregory Noveck, Syfy Films' Senior VP of Production, stated simply that, "The trick for us is to find what's the best movie."
SyFy Films is a joint venture between SyFy and Universal Pictures that aims to produce films on a smaller budget. That shouldn't alarm fans because the article notes that Noveck has pointed to movies like Source Code and Children of Men as examples of great films produced on a modest budget. And if the first movie is a success, there is always a chance that Wild Cards could wind up on TV as well.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
