HBO is in development on a new TV series based on the iconic DC Comics graphic novel 'V for Vendetta,' with Pete Jackson attached to write and James Gunn and Peter Safran executive producing for DC Studios. The project, produced by Warner Bros. Television, adapts the dystopian story of anarchist V and Evey Hammond in a fascist Britain. This marks another live-action DC property for HBO, following successes like 'The Penguin' and the upcoming 'Lanterns.'
Development Details
A 'V for Vendetta' TV series is currently in the works at HBO, as exclusively reported by Variety on November 10, 2025. Pete Jackson, known for writing the BAFTA-nominated Channel 4 series 'Somewhere Boy' and the upcoming Sky Atlantic project 'The Death of Bunny Munro,' is penning the adaptation. Executive producers include James Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios, alongside Ben Stephenson via Poison Pen and Leanne Klein of Wall to Wall Media, part of Warner Bros. Television Studios UK. Warner Bros. Television is handling production.
HBO and DC Studios have declined to comment, while Jackson's representatives did not respond to requests.
Story Background
The original 'V for Vendetta' debuted as a serial in the British anthology 'Warrior' in 1982, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd, before DC Comics took over publishing in 1988. Set in a dystopian near-future Britain controlled by the fascist Norsefire party, the narrative follows V, a masked anarchist wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, who teams with young Evey Hammond—rescued from secret police—to overthrow the regime.
Previous Adaptations and Context
The comic was previously adapted into a 2005 feature film directed by James McTeigue from a screenplay by the Wachowskis, starring Hugo Weaving as V and Natalie Portman as Evey. The movie grossed over $130 million worldwide and became a cult classic, popularizing the Guy Fawkes mask in pop culture. Warner Bros. plans to re-release the film in theaters in November 2026 for its 20th anniversary.
Prior attempts include a unproduced Channel 4 series and ties to the canceled HBO Max/Epix show 'Pennyworth,' intended as a prequel depicting Norsefire's rise, though it ended after three seasons without fully exploring that arc.
The new series is expected to be standalone, outside Gunn and Safran's DC Universe, joining HBO's DC slate like the Emmy-winning 'The Penguin' (a 'The Batman' spinoff) and 'Lanterns' (starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart, slated for early 2026). It echoes HBO's 2019 'Watchmen' series, a sequel to another Moore work.
