In the new battlefield for comic book television shows, DC Entertainment is bringing another of its properties to the small screen. Deadline is reporting that Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas and collaborator partner Diane Ruggiero are developing the Vertigo comic series iZombie for The CW.
The original iZombie comic, from writer Chris Robertson and artist Mike Allred, ran from 2010 to 2012. The series took a darkly comic tone to its horror concept, which followed the adventures of regular girl Gwendolyn Price. Regular in every way, that is, except for her need to eat a human brain once a month to maintain her intelligence. In doing so, she gained the ability to see the deceased’s memories, which made it a bit of a murder mystery series sometimes. With ready made sidekicks of a 1960s ghost and a werewolf, the potential for a television series is a…no brainer.
Deadline’s description for the adaptation is as follows:
[A] supernatural crime procedural that centers on a med student-turned-zombie who takes a job in the coroner’s office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity. But with each brain she consumes, she inherits the corpse’s memories, and with the help of her medical examiner boss and a police detective, she solves homicide cases in order to quiet the disturbing voices in her head.
The news comes on the back of the announcement earlier this week that The CW is also developing a series based on the obscure Hourman comics. The network is currently having success with Arrow, based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, which continues to maintain strong results in the ratings. The CW plans to spin The Flash TV series off from the show, expanding the DC universe.
With Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. playing to mixed reception but high ratings on Disney’s ABC, and this morning’s announcement that the rival studio will produce five new series for VOD kings Netflix, could it mean that television is the new battleground for comic book dominance?
With the exception of Man of Steel and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, DC Entertainment has struggled to launch a cohesive brand at the cinema in the same way that Marvel has done since 2008’s Iron Man. Branching out into non-mainstream properties, that include ongoing talks around Y: The Last Man and the rumoured Fables film, could be the next big step for the company. After all, DC just moved to California.
