Frank Miller to Pen ‘Corto Maltese’ Limited Series for StudioCanal

Frank Miller is set to create, write and executive produce a limited series adaptation of Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese graphic novels for StudioCanal.

Italian illustrator Hugo Pratt created the Corto Maltese fantasy comic character in 1967 as a heroic sailor finding adventure around the world. Miller, the writer-artist behind The Dark Knight, Sin City and 300, will develop the six-episode live action-adventure series in partnership with StudioCanal and Canal+.

“I first discovered Corto Maltese reading the books at Forbidden Planet in New York as a young man. Then on my travels, I studied and discovered an edition at a newsstand in Rome. The artwork was so expressive and so bold that it leapt off the newsprint. It swept me away,” Miller said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Miller launched his own publishing banner, Frank Miller Presents. The Corto Maltese adaptation will be executive produced by Miller, Silenn Thomas and Jemma Rodgers. Ron Halpern and Francoise Guyonnet will oversee for StudioCanal, which optioned the rights to the graphic novels and recruited Miller to create and write the limited series.

Phil Tippett will oversee visual effects on the adaptation. Pratt’s graphic novels have inspired earlier screen adaptations, including Milla Jovovich starring in a period action thriller, with Christophe Gans, whose credits include the French Beauty and the Beast, Silent Hill and Brotherhood of the Wolf, directing a script by William Schneider.