Variety reports that HBO is developing a TV series based on Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta. Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) is set to write the adaptation, with James Gunn and Peter Safran executive producing for DC Studios.
Set against the dystopian landscape of a totalitarian Britain, V for Vendetta tells the story of a masked anarchist named V, who wears a distinctive Guy Fawkes mask. He seeks to topple the government with he help of Evey Hammond, a young woman he rescued from the secret police. The comic, written by Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd, began as a serial in the British anthology Warrior. It was later acquired by DC Comics, which published the remainder of the story.
V for Vendetta has previously been adapted into the 2005 feature film starring Hugo Weaving as V and Natalie Portman as Evy. James McTeigue made his directorial debut with the film, from a screenplay by the Wachowskis. It was a success upon release, going to gross over $134 million and earning largely positive reviews. The film remains popular; in fact, Warner Bros. recently announced that it will return to theaters on November 5, 2026 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Channel 4 once attempted to get a V for Vendetta TV series off the ground, but it didn’t move forward.
HBO and DC aren’t strangers, as they previously released Watchmen, a sequel to the graphic novel created by Moore and Dave Gibbons. The next DC series to land at HBO will be Lanterns. That series, which is part of the DCU, follows Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. Lanterns director James Hawes has teased that the series is similar to True Detective.
“Talking tone, it looks and feels rooted. You meet two guys, but there is wit and comedy to it that you would not expect in True Detective,” Hawes said. “It is, in many ways, a buddy cop structure with travel in the story time, to and fro, that is really sophisticated. Chris Mundy has done the most amazing job with the team there, and so I think [the True Detective comparison] is valid. People will still go, ‘What were you talking about?’ to some extent, but I would also bring in No Country for Old Men, Fargo and things that have that Americana heart to them. There’s a wry humor, and so there definitely is more wit and humor than there is in True Detective.” Lanterns doesn’t have an official release date yet, but it is expected to debut in 2026.
Are you down for a V for Vendetta TV series?
