It looks like Robert Kirkman’s imagination has grown bigger than any one network can handle. The Walking Dead creator’s Skybound/Image comic book Outcast — illustrated by Paul Azaceta — is on its way to TV via Cinemax in an adaptation by Kirkman himself and has been given a full ten-episode series order. Outcast marks the first time the writer has scripted the pilot episode of a series based on his work. Developed by Fox International Channels (which distributes The Walking Dead worldwide), the pilot was picked up by Cinemax last July. Almost Famous and Gone Girl star Patrick Fugit will play Kyle Barnes, a young man who’s spent his life possessed by a demon. Barnes teams up with holy man Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister) to learn the truth behind his possession, only to learn it threatens more people than he ever imagined. A Horrible Way to Die director Adam Wingard helmed the pilot.
Kirkman will also serve as the executive producer of Outcast, along with Chris Black (who co-created the adaptation), David Alpert of Circle of Confusion, Sharon Tal Yguado of Fox International, and Sue Naegle. Kirkman shared his excitement today via Twitter…
Very happy to be a part of the @Cinemax family! #Outcast couldn’t have a better home!
â Robert Kirkman (@RobertKirkman) February 12, 2015
HBO, Cinemax’s parent company, is equally enthused. Programming president Michael Lombardo remarked, “We are thrilled to be in business with Robert Kirkman, a visionary talent who has the unique ability to tap into todayâs zeitgeist, making him a perfect fit for the newly expanded Cinemax roster.”
Here’s the network’s official description of the show:
Patrick Fugit (âGone Girlâ) stars as Barnes, a man searching for answers, and for redemption, who sequesters himself from those he loves for fear of causing greater hurt. Philip Glenister (âLife on Marsâ) stars as Reverend Anderson, a West Virginia evangelist who believes he is a soldier in Godâs holy war against the forces of evil on Earth. An inveterate drinker and gambler, he doesnât believe God intends people to sweat the small stuff. Gabriel Bateman (âStalkerâ) stars as Joshua Austin, an eight-year-old who lives across town from Kyle. To his familyâs dismay, he appears to be in the clutches of demonic possession, but thereâs something very different about this possession and its connection to Kyle Barnes.
What do you think? Does Outcast sound like it will be a worthy TV successor to The Walking Dead? Let us know in the comments below!