'Hitman' TV Series in the Works at Hulu as More Games for the Franchise Teased
A television series based on the hit stealth video game "Hitman" is being developed by Hulu.
According to Deadline, the streaming service has teamed up with Fox 21. Derek Kolstad, the creator and writer of the "John Wick" films starring Keanu Reeves, will pen the pilot.
He will also serve as executive producer of the "Hitman" series alongside Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon. The plan is for "Hitman" to be a flagship series.
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This will be the first time the game will be brought to the small screen although the franchise was also the inspiration behind films by FOX titled "Hitman" and "Hitman: Agent 47," released 2007 and 2015.
As for the video game series itself, Deadline days that IO Interactive is working on two installments. Eurogamer points out that only one title has been confirmed to be in development so far, but it looks like fans will be seeing a lot more of "Hitman" not just on TV but also in the platform where it all began.
Just recently, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak spoke to GamesIndustry.biz about the recent management buyout the company underwent.
For the uninitiated, IO Interactive came close to shutting down after Square Enix decided to part ways with the studio. Its fate was on limbo for weeks as the Japanese firm shopped it for a buyer.
Abrak and his team ultimately decided they go the management buyout route, which allowed them to enjoy more independence and retain control of the "Hitman" franchise.
The IO Interactive executive promises that fans should not worry about the franchise meeting its end. Instead, they can look forward to its expansion. Abrak says they are committed to improving the series by learning from their mistakes in the past:
We're the first to admit we got some things right and some things wrong. Changing our business model before launch caused confusion, and we had some tech issues at launch. While the episodic nature of the main story campaign received major praise from the press and many gamers, it wasn't necessarily everyone's cup of tea. What did really work wonders for the game was the live model.
Frequent release of content, challenges and live events really exceeded all expectations. With every content update we saw more and more players joining. All of that content took a herculean effort from the dev team, and it paid off... We learned a lot that will make the experience even better for the next game in the Hitman universe.
Abrak said that with them at the helm and no one else, they can finally create and apply what they have always envisioned "Hitman" to be. He promised:
We can be more open with what we say and what we do. In other words: expect less corporate-speak, and more heart.
