LOS ANGELES- April 29th, 2022- International bestselling sci-fi horror fantasy novel, THE WARDED MAN by Peter V. Brett is being developed for TV. The series will be produced by Roger Birnbaum (RUSH HOUR, THE HUSTLE) and Mark Kimsey (300, SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES) of Electromagnetic Productions (EMP) in partnership with Spike Seldin (THE A-TEAM, WITCHBLADE) and Kearie Peak (LEVERAGE SERIES, THE LIBRARIANS) Remarkable Media. In collaboration, THE WARDED MAN will be produced by Simon Barry (WARRIOR NUN, CONTINUUM) and Stephen Hegyes (WARRIOR NUN, FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING) from Reality Distortion Field (RDF). Simon Barry is serving as the EP and showrunner. Writer JD Zeik (WITCHBLADE, RONIN) will be adapting the novel for TV.
With a global fanbase that has built up over the past 15 years and five novels, along with very active fan communities, the “Warded Man World” is being planned out as a long-term franchise. There will also be merchandising around the property, both traditional and digital.
Part one of the five-part DEMON CYCLE series, The Warded Man was published in 2008 by Harper Collins’ Voyager imprint and is a New York Times bestseller. It has since been sold in 27 countries and in 26 languages. The book was published under the title The Painted Man in Europe.
The novel is set in a distant future where humanity is plagued by terrifying demons that emerge at night with supernatural powers and an all-consuming hatred of people. They are barely held at bay by the ancient and magical art of warding, where locals paint mysterious symbols on houses and posts. With the fate of humanity hanging by a thread, one man takes it further, tattooing his body with the lost battle wards to teach humanity how to fight back from the verge of extinction.
Peter Brett is repped by APA’s Steve Fisher, Simon Barry is repped by Abram Nailabotsky. The project was brought in to EMP by co-producer Michael Besman (ABOUT SCHMIDT, BOUNCE).