ABC may be owned by Disney, but that won’t stop the alphabet network from mining a rival company’s comic book property.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has given a script commitment to Unfollow, based on the Vertigo Comic book series created by Rob Williams and Michael Dowling. Unfollow came out this month, which makes this an unusually fast turnaround from print to live-action.
The premise of Unfollow is that a dying social media mogul has bequeathed his multi-million dollar fortune to 140 random strangers. The catch is that each time one of the 140 die, their share of the wealth is divided evenly among the survivors. This encourages the 140 to begin hunting and killing each other in a race to become the last man or woman with a claim on the inheritance before the mogul dies.
Related: Exclusive First Look At Vertigo’s Unfollow # 1
The Originals showrunner Michael Narducci is writing and executive producing the adaptation of Unfollow. Narducci has previously written for Medium and The 4400.
If Unfollow gets a series order, it would potentially be the third comic book inspired series on ABC after Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter. Considering that Marvel TV also has a potential third drama, Marvel’s Most Wanted and a comedy pitch for Damage Control, that number could go to five comic book shows on ABC.
That said, Unfollow’s premise is unusually timely, which may have played a part in the rush to get it onscreen. Unfollow will likely be in contention for a slot on ABC’s fall schedule, should it get a greenlight to begin casting and filming a pilot episode.
