Well, New Regency just made my day. According to The Hollywood Reporter, New Regency has signed a development and production partnership deal with TKO Studios, the indie publisher behind Sara, Scales & Scoundrels, Djeliya, Sentient, The Banks, Redfork, and more.
Per the deal, New Regency will have the first crack at exclusively developing television projects based on the publisher’s growing library of exciting stories. Salvatore Simeone and Tze Chun will develop, produce, and package all shows with New Regency. Tze Chun, a refreshing presence in the comic book and advocate for Asian American creators on social media, is also behind the upcoming animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
Known for releasing bold new comic book content in a binge-worthy graphic novel format (as well as digital one-shots from up-and-coming creators), TKO Studios excels at presenting unique stories from some of today’s hottest creators, including Jeff Lemire, Garth Ennis, Roxane Gay, Gabriel H. Walta, Steve Epting, Steve Niles, and Steve Orlando.
“TKO is proud to partner with New Regency,” said Simeone and Chun in a statement. “Their track record creating groundbreaking film and television aligns with our history of publishing critically acclaimed thought-provoking genre stories. We feel our companies’ combined strengths make an ideal partnership and forges a new model for TV adaptation that will benefit all parties, including our incredible creators.”
If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a major fan of TKO Studios and their approach to the comic book medium. Sentient is a must-read for science-fiction fans, and Chun’s The Fearsome Doctor Fang is a globe-trotting adventure that blends Chinese iconography with pulpy, edge-of-your-seat action. I highly recommend both, as well as Redfork, Lonesome Days, Savage Nights, and The Pull.
With comic book properties being gobbled up like Pac-Man pellets nowadays, I’m thrilled to know that New Regency, the production company behind films like Bohemian Rhapsody, Widows, Birdman, The Lighthouse, and Little Women, are ready to bring stories from TKO to the small screen. Let’s do this!