Warren Ellis, Gale Anne Hurd adapting Mexican crime comic ‘El Pantera’ for TV

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Graphic novelist Warren Ellis and “The Walking Dead” producer Gale Anne Hurd will adapt the Mexican comic book series “El Pantera” for the small screen, Universal Cable Productions announced Wednesday.

Based on the popular 1970s comic, “El Pantera” is a crime drama set in a fictional town on the U.S.-Mexico border where a young officer and his wrongfully imprisoned friend create an underground vigilante group to combat the mob.

Televisia, which will co-produce, adapted a Spanish-language series based on the comic in 2007.

Ellis is best known for “Gun Machine” and “Iron Man: Extremis,” which served as the basis for the film “Iron Man 3.” This will be Ellis’ first original TV series.

“Every network, studio and show creator needs to stretch the boundaries of genre in order to grab and hold the attention of an increasingly sophisticated audience,” said Jeff Wachtel, president of Universal Cable Productions.

Ellis and Hurd, he said, are “visionaries and the ideal partners to bring Mexico’s iconic comic ‘El Pantera’ to life.”