By MICHAEL GINGOLD
For over 30 years, paranormal investigator Dylan Dog has been taking cases involving ghosts, vampires, zombies and other supernatural creatures in the pages of his eponymous Italian comic, and now he’s set for a live-action TV adaptation with one of the biggest names in horror involved.
James Wan’s Atomic Monster production company has announced that it will team with Italian comics publisher Sergio Bonelli Editore for the 10-episode, English-language project. They’re currently seeking writers to adapt the comics by Tiziano Sclavi (whose novel DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE was the basis for Michele Soavi’s film of the same title, a.k.a. CEMETERY MAN). “DYLAN DOG is truly one of my favorite comic books ever,” Wan says. “I was first introduced to the Nightmare Investigator back in high school by my European friends. And though I didn’t understand the foreign text, I easily understood the story through the beautiful artwork, and its loving references to the horror genre. I’m excited to team with Sergio Bonelli Editore to bring this to life on screen.”
“James Wan and Atomic Monster are masters of the horror genre,” says Davide Bonelli,” and have a proven sensibility on how best to adapt comics to the screen. We are so thrilled to have this dream team working on one of our most important characters.”
The character’s exploits were previously adapted as the unsuccessful 2011 English-language feature film DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT, starring Brandon Routh in the title role. Wan is currently helming MALIGNANT, starring Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, Jake Abel and Jacqueline McKenzie, and Atomic Monster also has THE CONJURING 3 (out September 11, 2020), Netflix’s THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE and New Line’s MORTAL KOMBAT reboot on the way.