The exclusive television rights to Image Comics interstellar sci-fi graphic novel series “Descender,” and its sequel “Ascender” from the creative duo of Jeff Lemire (“Black Hammer”) and artist Dustin Nguyen (“Batman: Streets of Gotham”), has been acquired by Canada’s Lark Productions.
Canada’s Lark Productions, which is part of NBCUniversal International Studios, will develop and produce the series.
“Descender,” which ran from 2015 – 2018 and consists of 32 issues, follows Tim-21, a companion robot who is thrust into a hostile cosmos only to discover that he’s the missing link between a fleet of life-annihilating constructs and modern robotics. After Descender ended, Ascender, which is currently set to release issue #12 in August, takes place ten years after the events of Descender, in a magical world sans machines and follows a young girl who embarks on an epic quest to find Tim-21.
In an interview with Variety, Jeff Lemire stated,
“The world of “Descender” and “Ascender” just keeps growing, and Dustin and I are very happy to be working with Lark to bring it to televisions screens as well. Their passion for the comics and devotion to telling the story the right way has us both very excited.”
Co-creator Dustin Nguyen added,
“It’s definitely going to be an entirely new adventure to see our characters come to life onscreen and share them with a whole new audience.”
Erin Haskett, president of Lark Productions and executive producer on the project along with Lemire and Nguyen, said,
“‘Descender’ [and] ‘Ascender’ is a beautifully crafted saga, examining the tolls of technology on nature and humanity, which feels very timely for television,”
No further details, such as release date, were reported at this time.