'Worlds Of Jonas Moore' Moving To Television

MGM Domestic Television Distribution said it has bought an option to develop the digital graphic novel "The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore" for television audiences around the world, including the United States.

"'The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore' is an exciting digital graphic novel that's creating quite a sensation abroad," said Chris Ottinger, executive vice president of worldwide television for MGM in a release. "We see this as a great concept that will make an exciting series for worldwide audiences."

"Jonas Moore" in its current form has been produced by Factory Publishing, and was written, produced and directed by Howard Webster. He will work with Ruth Vitale of The Film Collective as executive producers of the project as it moves into television.

"Jonas Moore" is set in an alternate universe where the British Empire never crumbled, and America is nothing more than one of thousands of virtual worlds that are part of a global gaming network. The title character is portrayed by Colin Salmon, a British actor who has been involved in projects such as "Resident Evil" and the upcoming "Punisher: War Zone." Moore is a character created by the network's founder who becomes self-aware. Because of that, the network marks him as a virus, forcing him to go on the run from one artificial game world to the next.

This fugitive life becomes contagious for other characters in the gaming world, and it begins a revolution against the real-life gamers of the network in a battle only true gaming geeks would get their plus-5 swords ready for.

"MGM is a great place" for the Jonas Moore character, Webster said. "There has never been a black British action hero before, and what appealed to me was that MGM understood this from the outset. ['Jonas Moore'] represents the next generation of intelligent action heroes of international sci-fi drama."

The online version was designed specifically for iPod and PC downloads, and has been nominated for a number of awards, including the Webbys. It combines comic book illustration with 3-D animation, live-action photography, newsreel archival footage, and an original music score.

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