Frank Miller to Adapt Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese Comics for TV

Acclaimed creator and writer of Sin City, 300 or the Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller, has been tapped by StudioCanal and Canal+ for the television adaptation of Hugo Pratt’s classic novel The Maltese Short.

The project will consist of 6 chapters of one hour each.

Pratt launched the series in 1967. Maltese is a daring sea captain whose adventures took place in the early part of the 20th century. The lavishly drawn adventure tale melded fantasy with reality as Maltese came into contact with some of the most literary influencers: Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Butch Cassidy, while crossing seas and oceans.

“I discovered Corto Maltese by reading the books at Forbidden Planet in New York when I was young,” Miller said. «Then, in my travels, I studied and discovered an edition in a kiosk in Rome. The artwork was so expressive and so bold that it jumped out of newsprint. dragged me It was full of magic and romantic adventure. The Maltese is a scoundrel who could talk to the gods. For me he showed the power of comics where language is not a big barrier. I have been a fan of Corto Maltese ever since. This is the hero’s journey at its most classic, and I couldn’t be more honored to help bring the underlying romance, heroism and mysticism of Pratt’s creation to this series.”