Marvel comic creator Brian Michael Bendis let news slip out today about the latest step in Marvel’s plan to take over entertainment. During an panel at the ATX Television Festival in Austin today, the Jessica Jones creator shared that a Scarlet project is in early development for HBO. “I do a book called Scarlet which is soon to be announced also in our universe of television. Not announced yet, but HBO.” Deadline confirmed the news and further discovered that the property is slated for Cinemax, which is owned by HBO.
Scarlet Rue is a Portland-based rebel in a corrupt society who becomes an instigator in a new American revolution. The tone of the comic has been compared to The Punisher for its hard violence and political overtones. At today’s panel Bendis said, “Scarlet is a list of things you can’t get made. Here’s a female lead who’s killing cops because her world is broken. [But] when it was sold it was sold to people who were actively looking for that, so that put us in a good place. So stay tuned.”
The Scarlet character was introduced in 2010 from Bendis and co-creator Alex Maleev. The two have also partnered on Daredevil, New Avengers, Spider-Woman, and Halo: Uprising. Maleev previously worked on Batman for DC, Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics, and The Crow. Bendis is considered the primary architect of the Ultimate Marvel Universe. His comic credits include Age of Ultron and Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis’ series Powers has also been adapted for TV as the first original scripted programming from the PlayStation Network. The noir police procedural series stars Sharlto Copley (District 9, Maleficent), Noah Taylor (Peaky Blinders), Susan Heyward (The Following), Olesya Rulin (Greek), and Adam Godley (Manhatten, Suits) through investigations of superhuman criminals. Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Killer Women), Enrico Colantoni (Galaxy Quest, Just Shoot Me!), and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) have guest starred.
Bendis does quite a bit of public speaking so we doubt that today’s revelation was really that much of a “slip.” No doubt the warm reception for Netflix’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones have him excited for the possibilities with Scarlet on HBO.
Here he is speaking about his work on Daredevil in 2009.