It appears that HBO is ready to get into the Marvel business.

Brian Michael Bendis, who’s created and written many iconic Marvel stories and characters — including Jessica Jones, Ultimate Spiderman, and Ronin — let it slip in an interview that he’s close to adapting another character he created – Marvel/Icon’s Scarlet. 

No, not Scarlet Witch from The Avengers, but a series based on Bendis’ currently ongoing comic series Scarlet about a rebel who ends up starting a new American revolution. This isn’t your fun, team-up Marvel series like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or one of the MCU films, but would assumedly have a much grittier, darker tone. The series is published by Icon Comics, which is an imprint of Marvel.

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Image via Goodreads

Deadline reports Bendis talked about the series at the Austin ATX Television Festival, where he said he’s working with HBO on the project, which should be announced soon.

“I do a book called Scarlet which is soon to be announced also in our universe of television. Not announced yet, but HBO.” Bendis was careful to add that the project is “at the earliest stage”, but that “the team around it… will be announce as soon as all are on the same page.” For its part, an HBO rep said the network is not familiar with the project.

HBO has stayed largely distant from the comic book universe since adapting an animated version of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn in the late 90’s. Doing a series like Scarlet, allows them to take a Netflix-like approach – make something grounded and fantastical at the same time.

Bendis, as previously mentioned, created Jessica Jones, which was perfectly brought to live-action On HBO, they have the option of going even wilder than the streaming service. Scarlet seems like a great property to adapt.

[io9]

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com