For the second time in 20 years, Witchblade is in development as a TV series from Sony Pictures Television and NBC Universal, NBC confirmed to ComicBook.com The series is poised to air on NBC, taking on a police procedural element that makes sense given the fact that Sara Pezzini, the woman who wears the Witchblade, is a cop in the comics, as well.
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In the series, based on the graphic novel of the same name, homicide detective Sara Pezzini is on the hunt for an elusive serial killer. Pezzini must navigate the grisly streets and police politics of San Francisco’s Mission District—until one day the bracelet she has worn her entire life gives her supernatural insight into a crime she’s trying to solve. Her bracelet is the Witchblade, an amulet that has been worn by remarkable women throughout history, and Sara is next in line.
Created in 1995, Witchblade remains one of Image Comics’s longest-running series, with almost 200 issues under its belt (plus spinoffs and related titles). The series follows Sara Pezzini, a New York City homicide detective who comes into possession of the Witchblade, a supernatural, sentient bracelet which bonds with a female host and provides them with a variety of powers in order to fight supernatural evil.
The character has ties to The Darkness, which has never been adapted into live action but as a popular video game franchise. At one point, Top Cow was developing a movie featuring Witchblade and The Darkness.
This time around, the series will be executive produced by Caroline Dries and Brian Young, who wrote the pilot.
The previous TV series, which aired on TNT from 2001 to 2002, starred Yancy Butler as Pezzini. Despite strong ratings, Witchblade was canceled before its third season, which fans have blamed on one of the actors entering a rehab program for an alcohol problem.
Carol Mendelsohn and Julie Weitz from Carol Mendelsohn Productions will underwrite the series, along with Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins from Top Cow. Rick Jacobs from Circle of Confusion will also serve as an executive producer.
