American Gods producers to adapt Astro City comic for live-action TV series

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Fremantle Media, the producer behind the AMERICAN GODS TV show on Starz, has announced that they'll be developing a live-action television series based on the  ASTRO CITY comic book series. Created by writer Kurt Busiek and artists Brent Anderson and Alex Ross, the on-going series boasts a population of over 2,000 original characters, who throughout the years have been introduced by way of the saga's 16 standalone yet loosely-connected story arcs. The series, which saw its first issue published by Image Comics in 1995, is currently being distributed by DC Comics.

Ah, but does that mean that ASTRO CITY is yet another DC property? No, my friends, it does not. You see, even though DC is ASTRO CITY's current publisher, Busiek still owns all the rights to his superhero series, and stands to reap much of the upcoming show's good fortune, should it become a success.

According to Deadline: 

The fictional Astro City universe explores the lives of ordinary people and those of the all-too-human superhumans in their midst, and their collective, daily struggle to hold on to hope in the face of world-shaking, life-altering events beyond any single individual’s control.

A mid-sized American city blessed with, and cursed by, the largest number of superheroes and supervillains in one place on Earth, Astro City is described as a unique brand of humanistic saga — part superhero epic, part intimate drama — in which the (mostly) good hearted, workaday residents of the eponymous locale come into daily contact with the worrisome, the weird and the wondrous.

When work begins on the ASTRO CITY project, Busiek and Rick Alexander will write the pilot. Should the the show be picked up for a full series, Gregory Noveck will executive produce while engaged in a partnership with with Alexander and Busiek, for FremantleMedia North America.

“It’s a thrill to be working with Rick, Gregory and FremantleMedia on this,” Busiek commented. “Everyone, at every turn, is supportive, helpful and completely focused on capturing the feel of Astro City and bringing it to life as a TV show.”

Are you a fan of ASTRO CITY? If so, what do you think of it? Can you see it finding a place amidst so many other comic-realted shows on television? Let us know your thoughts on all of this stuff and more in the comments section below!