HBO Developing New Epic Fantasy Series Based On Comic Book Series 'Asunda'

With Game of Thrones set to slay its last White Walker this year, HBO is eager to find its next hit fantasy series. The network has begun development on the epic fantasy series Asunda, based on the comic book universe of the same name created by Sebastian A. Jones. The Asunda TV series will center on an orphan girl born of two nations who must battle an ancient enemy in a "culturally rich world" that looks to be even more diverse than Game of Thrones

Deadline reports that HBO has begun developing an Asunda TV series that will be co-written and executive produced by Jones, whose independent imprint, Stranger Comics, began publishing comics set in the Asunda universe in 2014 following a Kickstarter campaign. The universe of Asunda would continue to be fleshed out in "shared universe" titles published by Stranger Comics including Niobe, Dusu, Erathune and Essessa — all named after people or places in the culturally diverse, war-torn world of magic and epic battles.

The Asunda TV series will focus on the titular character of Niobe, an orphan girl who was conceived through violence and raised in the tiny desert town Oasis, and must search for her ancestors in order to face an ancient enemy. First introduced in the graphic novel The Untamed in 2014, Niobe Ayutami went on to become the face of the franchise, with her further adventures chronicled in titles such as Niobe: She Is Life and Niobe: She Is Death.

Here is the logline for the Asunda TV series, per Deadline:

Asunda is set in the culturally rich but war-torn world of Asunda, where an orphan girl is born of two nations and raised in a small desert town. Hunted by all, she will search for her ancestors and the courage to bind them against an ancient enemy.

The world of Asunda is reportedly inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth epics and Greek mythology, and is "similar in setting to Westeros," which makes it an easy fit for the Game of Thrones-sized hole that HBO will soon have in its schedule. It's encouraging too that Asunda is already looking to be more racially diverse than Game of Thrones, a problem that the series struggle with. However, I wonder if HBO can repeat the success of Game of Thrones with another similar series, or if the hit fantasy show was lightning in a bottle for the network.