Corto Maltese: a series about a fearless sailor is in development

StudioCanal has partnered with Canal+ to commission a TV series inspired by the Corto Maltese graphic novel.

The TV series adaptation of Corto Maltese was created, written and produced by Frank Miller (Robocop, Sin City, Daredevil). the dead, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Damned). Visual effects will be entrusted to Phil Tippett, who has especially worked on the Star Wars and Jurassic Park franchises.

One of the most visionary storytellers of our time, Frank Miller, will write, create and produce Corto Maltese, an adventure series based on Hugo Pratt’s graphic novels.

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Frank Miller said:

I discovered Corto Maltese while reading the Forbidden Planet books in New York when I was young. Then, during my travels, I studied and found the edition on a newsstand in Rome. The illustrations were so expressive and bold that they stood out against the background of newsprint. I fell under the spell. It was full of magic and romantic adventures. Corto Maltese is a swindler who manages to speak with the gods. For me, it showed the power of comics where language is not a barrier. Since then I have been a fan of Corto Maltese. This is the hero’s journey in its most classic form, and I’m honored to help bring to this series the romanticism, heroism, and underlying mysticism that characterize the work of Italian cartoonist Hugo Pratt.

The pioneering work on the graphic novel Corto Maltese is coming to the small screen soon.

Corto Maltese is a brave ship captain whose adventures take place at the beginning of the 20th century. Fantasy and reality mix in this richly drawn adventure tale. The intrepid sailor knew some of the most influential figures in literature – Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Butch Cassidy – as he crossed seas and oceans.

Patricia Zanotti, a close associate of Hugo Pratt, comments:

From the very beginning, he appreciated the work of Frank Miller so much that he published it in Corto Maltese magazine in 1988. They are students of classic American comics like Milton Caniff, with their use of shading, dramatic ink, and bold brushstrokes. Who better to reimagine the world of Hugo Pratt than Frank Miller, after all the characters and worlds the legendary creator introduced us to. He would like his character Corto Maltese to be revived by an author with an extraordinary ability to perpetuate timeless myths while introducing iconic characters to new generations. He said through one of his characters that “nothing is written that can’t be rewritten”.