HBO Developing Fantasy Series Based on 'Asunda' Comic Universe

HBO is nearing the end of an era, as Game of Thrones' final season will begin debuting in less than a month. But if a new report is any indication, the premium cable service could soon have another fantasy hit in store.

Deadline announced today that HBO has put into development a live-action series based on Asunda, a comic universe that has been published by Stranger Comics. The comics are created by Sebastian A. Jones, who will co-write and executive produce the television adaptation.

Asunda is set in the culturally rich but war-torn world of Asunda, where an orphan girl is born of two nations and raised in a small desert town. Hunted by all, she will search for her ancestors and the courage to bind them against an ancient enemy.

The world of Asunda cites several pretty high-profile fantasy worlds as inspiration, including Greek mythology, Game of Thrones, and J.R.R. Tolkein's Middle Earth. The universe has previously been brought to life in various "shared universe" titles published by Stranger, which have been partially funded by Kickstarter campaigns. The titles have included Niobe, Dusu, Erathune, and Essessa, all of which are named after people or places in the fictional world.

The larger focus of the Asunda franchise is Niobe Ayutami, an orphan girl born of two nations, conceived through violence and raised in Oasis, a tiny desert town. The character was introduced in The Untamed (with art by Peter Bergting), which was collected in graphic novel form in 2014. Her father was a king in a country that Jones modeled on England and Europe, while her mother was the kidnapped female chief of a nomadic tribe of elves who roam a jungle region that corresponds to West Africa. Hunted by all, Niobe will search for her ancestors and the courage to bind them against an ancient enemy. Her adventures have been chronicled in comics form in titles such as Niobe: She Is Life and Niobe: She Is Death.

Mimi DiTrani will also serve as executive producer on the live-action series.

While HBO certainly has a few high-profile genre projects in their realm -- including Thrones and its prequel series, Westworld, and the forthcoming Watchmen adaptation -- it will certainly be interesting to see how Asunda eventually fits into the fold.