Japan’s Fuji TV & ‘Walking Dead’ firm Skybound team for ‘Heart Attack’ adaptation

Heart Attack graphic novel cover

Skybound Entertainment, the US entertainment firm founded by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, is partnering with Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV on a live-action adaptation of its graphic novel series Heart Attack.

The co-production will see Fuji TV producing and broadcasting the sci-fi series locally, while Skybound distributes globally.

Created by Shawn Kittelsen and illustrator Eric Zawadzki, the Heart Attack book series is set in a post-pandemic world where gene therapy has saved Americans from disease, only to give birth to Variants: people with powers so unique the government denies their human rights. The show, like the books, will follow the love story of two teenagers whose connection unlocks a secret power.

“We are delighted to have Fuji TV as a partner in adapting Heart Attack into a compelling sci-fi TV series,” said Rick Jacobs, Skybound’s managing partner of linear content. “Shawn Kittelsen and Eric Zawadzki have created an emotionally and visually stimulating world that demands to be brought to life.”

Skybound was founded by Kirkman and producer David Alpert in 2000. The firm is behind shows including Amazon Prime Video’s superhero animation Invincible.