Bonelli Goes Its Own Way With Dylan Dog TV Show Plan
by Erik Amaya
Sometimes, you just have to do it yourself.
Variety reports Italian publisher Sergio Bonelli Editore will produce its own television adaptation of its Dylan Dog series for English-language broadcasters and streaming services.
Created by Tiziano Sclavi, the series follows “nightmare investigator” Dylan Dog. Forever dressed in a red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans, he faces down the absurd horrors of London alongside sidekick Groucho — a man playing at being Groucho Marx — and with the occasional help of his old Scotland Yard superior Inspector Bloch. Artist Claudio Villa, who helped outline the visual look of the series, based Dylan’s face on actor Rupert Everett, who would later play Scalvi’s Italian analogue of Dylan Dog, Francesco Dellamorte, in Cemetery Man. Despite the change in name and locale, Everett worse Dylan’s trademark costume throughout the picture.
A more direct adaptation of the series occurred with 2011’s Dylan Dog: Dead of Night. Starring Legends of Tomorrow‘s Brandon Routh as the titular character and Sam Huntington as a non-Groucho sidekick due to trademark issues, it was a box office disappointment and something of a departure from the comics’ surreal tone and black humor. Bonelli bought the Dylan Dog rights back from a US company a few years ago and, according to Bonelli Entertainment development chief Vincenzo Sarno, creating an entertainment arm allows the company to insure “the essence of our characters and our properties remain intact.”
The new Dylan Dog series will be developed as a 10-episode series. Bonelli states they are looking at a number of international partners to bring the series to life and on as many platforms as possible. “Developing new ways for people to come in contact with our most popular and iconic characters and franchises as well as exclusive new shows – on the devices they choose – is one of our studio’s top priorities,” Bonelli president Davide Bonelli said in a statement.
