About three months ago, comic book power couple Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick made the monumental announcement that they would be getting into the TV business thanks to a new partnership with Universal Television. The duo formed the production company Milkfed Criminal Masterminds under this two-year deal to develop their award-winning comics as original TV shows, starting with Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s ‘Sex Criminals.’ However, the company also set out to work with other comic creators to develop their independent stories for the medium as well. And now we know the first non-DeConnick/Fraction project that they have in the works.
According to Deadline, Universal TV has optioned the rights to Image Comics series ‘The Wicked + The Divine’ for Milkfed Criminal Masterminds to produce. Fresh off earning three Eisner Award nominations including best new series, the breakout comic by fan favorites Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson follows a group of gods and goddesses as they are reincarnated as teenage/young adult pop stars. Within this Pantheon of deities, there is no shortage of rivalries, egos, and obsessed fans trying to join the group and achieve their level of celebrity at all costs. Though it’s much more complicated than that, so here’s the official synopsis from the comic publisher:
Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critically thermonuclear floor-fillers YOUNG AVENGERS and PHONOGRAM reunite to start a new ongoing superhero fantasy. Welcome to THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, where gods are the ultimate pop stars. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever.
Since it’s still in the early stages of development, nothing is publicly known about the #WicDiv TV series, but based on Gillen, McKelvie, and Wilson’s other work, one could assume that the show would be very youthful and fashionable. The show’s soundtrack will likely be epic as well since music tends to play an important part in their projects. This could just be me projecting my own expectations, but I’m picturing a younger, modern day, supernatural version of ‘High Fidelity’ with a few dashes of ‘Almost Famous’. Regardless of what it actually turns out to be, legions of fans are anxiously awaiting this small screen adaptation.
What do you think about Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick’s production company developing ‘The Wicked + The Divine’ as a TV show? Are you excited to see how Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson’s work is translated into the live-action world? And even though we’re far from this step yet, do you have any ideas about casting for characters such as Luci, Laura, Baal, The Morrigan, and the rest? Let us know in the comments below!