J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot are teaming with Angela Robinson to bring DC Comics‘ Madame X to HBO Max, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Abrams specifically sought out the Professor Marston and the Wonder Women writer and director to steer the project, which she’s set to script and executive produce, while there’s a strong chance she’ll step behind the camera for at least a couple of episodes as well.
The filmmaker previously had an overall deal with Paramount TV, but she’s upped sticks and headed over to Warner Bros. to join Bad Robot‘s rapidly expanding roster of DC properties in various stages of development for HBO Max and the big screen. Madame Xanadu made her first comic book appearance back in 1978, and subsequent explorations of her origin story have placed her as Nimue, younger sister of Morgaine Le Fay and Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, directly tying her to Arthurian folklore. The character appeared in an episode of the animated series Young Justice.
In more recent iterations, she’s been part of the Justice League Dark, which is also coming to streaming with Abrams and Bad Robot at the helm, so it’s almost certainly not a coincidence that Madame X is getting a solo series, especially when the outfit is additionally rebooting Constantineas part of the same mythology.
Bad Robot are going all-in on the DC Universe, with the aforementioned shows joined by the animated Batman: Caped Crusader that’s being fronted by Abrams, Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm, as well as the new Superman movie penned by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Zatanna, which is being written by recent Academy Award winner Emerald Fennell.
Outside of superhero stories, Bad Robot are overseeing The Shining spinoff Overlook, epic sci-fi fantasy Demimonde, an adaptation of Glennon Doyle‘s memoir Untamed, reality-bending college drama Subject to Change and 1970s-set crime thriller Duster, which has Josh Holloway tapped for the lead role. All are slated for either HBO or HBO Max, in addition to continued involvement with Westworld.
There’s no word yet on when we can expect to see Madame X, but it’s clearly a high priority given the lengths Abrams has gone to in order to secure Robinson‘s services, poaching her away from Paramount with a contract said to be in the low eight figures.
via Collider