UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – July 7, 2015 – Universal Cable Productions
(UCP) continues to expand its powerhouse producing talent and build
upon the studio’s genre footprint by signing a first-look deal with
legendary comic book publisher, Dark Horse Entertainment
(“The Mask,” “Hellboy”). The deal announced today will focus on
developing and producing scripted programming from their extensive
comics library as well as new material. Discussions for the deal began
at Comic Con in 2014 when Dark Horse introduced UCP executives to some
of their top writers and artists. Over the last year, those
conversations continued and have yielded multiple television projects
with direct involvement from the comics creators.
“Dark Horse Entertainment has an incredible roster of fantastical,
witty and mind bending stories,” said Dawn Olmstead, Executive Vice
President of Development, Universal Cable Productions. “Their brand has
conquered multiple media platforms and boasts iconic books that have
attracted the highest level of writers. It’s going to be a wild and
imaginative ride.”
UCP will collaborate with Dark Horse to bring their unique and fresh
approach to the creative process. Together they will maximize Dark
Horse’s network of talented comic creators and robust library of content
to develop character driven concepts for television intended to
resonate with their current fan base. Dark Horse President and founder
Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg, SVP of Production, have enjoyed
great success for the last two decades; no strangers to television, they
also currently executive produce Syfy’s “Dark Matter”.
“As the landscape of narrative storytelling evolves, Dark Horse is
thrilled to be working in the golden age of television with Universal
Cable Productions. Their creative team has embraced the spirit of the
Dark Horse brand and we’re proud to be partnered with them.” said
Richardson.
Projects currently in development:
Harrow County -
Emmy has always known that the deep, dark woods surrounding her home
crawled with ghosts, goblins, and the restless dead. On the eve of her
18th birthday, she learns that she is connected to these creatures and
to the land itself in a way she never imagined, for she is the
reincarnation of a powerful witch who was put to death on the very day
Emmy was born. For this reason, the townsfolk mean to kill her too. In
order to survive, Emmy must embrace the unusual powers at her command.
This project is based on the brand new book written by Cullen Bunn (“The Damned,” “The Sixth Gun”) and illustrated by Tyler Crook (“Bad Blood”).
The Umbrella Academy
- Nine years after parting ways, the estranged members of the Umbrella
Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers, must
figure out how to work together to save the world. Created by Gerard
Way (lead singer of “My Chemical Romance,” and writer of “The True Lies of the Fabulous Killjoys”) and Gabriel Ba (Daytripper); Bluegrass films is also attached to executive produce.
Back Up -
In the near future, a new technology allows people to be backed up the
same way we now back up our computers—but instead of protecting against
drive failure, these backups protect against death. This project is
based on a feature script by Tom Vaughn. Kenny Golde is set to write
and executive produce, Brad Anderson (“Zoo”, “Almost Human”) is in
negotiations to direct. Jim Wedaa is also attached to executive
produce.
Concrete -
After his subconscious is transplanted into a hulking stone body,
Ronald Lithgow must come to terms with his new form and try to live a
normal life. This Eisner award-winning title is the opus of comics
legend Paul Chadwick.
Dark Horse joins UCP’s leading producer line-up, including: horror icon
Wes Craven; creator and executive producer of UCP’s critically
acclaimed “Mr. Robot”, Sam Esmail; Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla
Entertainment, BenderSpink; and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions.
UCP’s extensive library of genre, fantasy and science fiction projects
in the works include: with Syfy “Childhood’s End,” the first-ever
adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s iconic novel starring Charles Dance,
Mike Vogel and Julian McMahon; “Brave New World,” based on Aldous
Huxley’s classic novel which is being developed alongside Steven
Spielberg’s Amblin Television; “The Magicians,” based on Lev Grossman’s
popular trilogy; and Wes Craven’s “The People Under The Stairs,” based
on the 1991 film; and “We Are All Completely Fine,” based on book by
Daryl Gregory. And the mind-bending thriller pilot “Falling Water” with
USA from executive producers Gale Anne Hurd (“The Walking Dead”) of
Valhalla Entertainment, Blake Masters (“2 Guns”) and the late Emmy
Award-winner Henry Bromell (“Homeland”).
About Universal Cable Productions
Universal Cable Productions (UCP) creates innovative and critically
acclaimed original scripted and digital content across media platforms
for domestic and international distribution. UCP’s content library spans
classics such as Emmy-award winning, “Monk,” and critic and fan
favorites “Psych,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “Warehouse 13.” In the
U.S., UCP’s programming can be seen across various networks, including:
“Mr. Robot,” “Colony” (Fall 2015), “Dig,” “Playing House,” “Royal
Pains,” “Satisfaction” and “Suits” on USA Network; “Killjoys,” “Hunters”
(2016), “Magicians” (2016), “Defiance,” “Dominion,” and “12 Monkeys” on
Syfy; “Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce” on Bravo; “The Royals,” on E!;
“Difficult People” on Hulu; “Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome”
on Machinima Prime/YouTube, Syfy and DVD/Blu-Ray; and “Side Effects” on
Awesomeness TV/YouTube. Universal Cable Productions is a part of
NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the
world's leading media and entertainment companies. Follow us @UCPisTV.
About Dark Horse Entertainment
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse has proven to be a solid
example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique
storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an
industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and
creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In
addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike
Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and
Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo
Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has
developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and
Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on
popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of
Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the
largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as
one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.
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