Live-Action Series Adaptation of Hugo Pratt's CORTO MALTESE Graphic Novels in Development
Italy’s Rainbow Group, led by Iginio Straffi, creator of the hit Winx Club animation franchise, is set to launch into the high seas with a live-action series adaptation of Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese graphic novels.
The comics follow the title character, a swashbuckling sea captain whose adventures take him around the world.
This week, Rainbow announced a partnership with Cong SA, the company which owns all of Pratt’s IP. In addition to producing the new live-action TV series, which is currently in development, Rainbow will manage the Corto Maltese licensing rights worldwide, the companies said in a joint statement.
Pratt, whose real name was Ugo Eugenio Prat, is legendary figure in the international comic book community, best known for his work on Corto Maltese, the long-running historical adventure strip that ran in a number of European publications from 1967-1989.
His first, and perhaps most revered, graphic novel is 1967’s Corto Maltese: A Ballad of the Salty Sea, which introduced the roguish, chain-smoking sailor to the world.
Following Pratt’s death in 1995, the series was revived from 2015, with five new stories drawn and scripted by Spanish couple Juan Dìaz Canales and Rubén Pellejero and two drawn and scripted by French couple Bastien Vivès and Martin Quenehen.
The Corto Maltese books have sold over 11 million copies worldwide, and are translated and distributed in 35 countries.
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via: Variety