Wild Cards, the superhero shared universe of Game of Thrones creator George RR Martin, is headed to television via Hulu.
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Hulu is developing multiple series based on the Wild Cards universe. Wild Cards is a series of novels and anthologies all set in the same superhero universe. The stories have been written by many different authors, with Martin serving as the series’ editor.
According to Variety, Hulu is already preparing to form a writers room for two different Wild Cards series. Universal Cable Productions is producing with Hulu. Andrew Miller will write and executive produce both shows.
The Wild Cards universe is an alternate version of our own world. Its timeline diverged in 1946 when an alien virus was released into Earth’s atmosphere over Manhattan. Those who contracted the “Wild Card” virus were affected differently.
“Of those infected, 90% died horribly, drawing the black queen, 9% were twisted and deformed into jokers, while a lucky 1% became blessed with extraordinary and unpredictable powers and became aces. The world was never the same,” Martin wrote in a blog post in 2016 when UCP first optioned the series.
The idea for Wild Cards came out of Martin’s experience running the superhero-themed tabletop roleplaying game Superworld. The first Wild Cards anthology was published in 1986 and nominated for a Hugo Award. The series now has 27 books in total, with the most recent installments – Low Chicago and Texas Hold’em – releasing earlier this year.
The Wild Cards Trust, the title given to the group of writers who have contributed to the shared universe, consists of over 40 authors, including Martin, X-Men legend Chris Claremont, Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell, the legendary, late fantasy author Roger Zelazny, and several others
Martin and co-editor Melinda Snodgrass will executive produce the new series, along with Vince Gerardis.
When the UCP deal was announced, Martin revealed there was already a plan in place to created a shared universe of connected shows.
“Universal Cable Productions (UCP) has acquired the rights to adapt our long-running Wild Cards series of anthologies and mosaic novels for television,” Martin writes. “Development will begin immediately on what we hope will be the first of several interlocking series.”
The final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, based on Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, will air beginning in April 2019. Casting is already underway for a still-untitled prequel series set centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. An adaptation of Martin’s sci-fi/horror novel Nightflyers is set to premiere on SyFy on December 2nd.
Are you excited about the Wild Cards universe coming to Hulu? Let us know in the comments!
