Big news this week for Vault Comics! The Hollywood Reporter announced that Gerard McMurray, the filmmaker behind The First Purge, has signed an overall deal with BET Studios, which will include a series adaptation of the publisher’s post-apocalyptic tale Resonant.
CBS Studios and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions are behind the BET+ streaming service production, on which McMurray will act as executive producer, writer, and director. Damian Wassel and F.J. DeSanto for Vault and Scott, David W. Zucker, Jordan Sheehan, and Clayton Krueger via Scott Free will also be executive producers.
Based on the comic by David Andry and artists Alejandro Aragon and Skylar Patridge, Resonant is set ten years after an event known as the Waves hit, unleashing humanity’s most violent impulses and plunging the world into chaos. At the center is a single father of three who must leave the safety of the secluded haven he built to find medicine for his chronically ill youngest son.
“My company, Buppie Productions, is committed to creating exciting and entertaining content that reflects the Black experience across all genres,” said McMurray in a statement. “BET is an iconic brand that has been at the forefront of creating spaces for Black creators like myself to showcase our talent. I’m proud to partner with BET Studios to bring my unique vision for storytelling to the television landscape. Resonant is the perfect first project for me to kick off my deal with BET. I’m also excited to be working with CBS Studios, Vault Comics, and the amazing team at Scott Free Productions to bring the graphic novel to life as a TV series.”
Aisha Summers Burke, executive VP and general manager of BET Studios, added, “We’re so thrilled to have Gerard join our growing arsenal of collaborators for BET Studios. As BET aligns with the rapidly shifting media landscape, it is vital to work with a team of creators who are tapped into the intricacies and nuances of the Black experience, as well as those whose industry acumen is unmatched. We found this, and much more, in Gerard. We look forward to seeing our partnership flourish through this venture.”
Buppie Productions’ director of development Ian Ward will help McMurray with the new deal.
McMurray is known for Burning Sands, an indie drama set in the world of underground hazing and picked up by Netflix. He then directed 2018’s The First Purge, set in the world of the popular Blumhouse-Universal franchise.
Stay tuned for updates and release dates!
