Originally posted on Deadline.com:
EXCLUSIVE: Rodney Barnes, the television writer and comic book author whose credits including Hulu’s Wu Tang: An American Saga and Marvel’s Runaways, has signed an overall deal with HBO.
Deadline understands that the deal is for two years.
This comes as Barnes is working with the premium cabler as a writer and executive producer on its upcoming untitled Lakers drama. He is working on the series, which stars John C. Reilly and Jason Clarke and is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.
Under the new deal, Barnes will develop, write, and produce projects via his company Rodney Barnes Productions.
This comes as he has several other high-profile projects in the works including a mini-series about the fall and comeback of controversial golf champion Tiger Woods, writing the script for an original creature feature for New Regency with Jordan Voigt-Roberts to direct and working with Levantine Films on the television adaptation of his best-selling graphic novel series Killadelphia: Sins Of The Father, which he will both write and produce.
Alongside his TV and film work, Barnes has firmly established himself in the graphic novel and comic book world with Killadelphia, which became a best-seller for Image Comics. He plans to continue to build the Killadelphia universe through new stories.
Barnes recently launched the comic studio Zombie Love Studios and publishing imprint Amazing Comics Publishing, where he has partnered with actor and rapper Xzibit to produce an untitled science fiction prestige hardcover graphic novel that will be set in South Los Angeles as well as a number of other titles.
Other television credits include Adult Swim’s The Boondocks, Starz’ American Gods and Chris Rock sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which earned him an American Film Institute Award.
Barnes is represented by UTA, Artists First, and attorney Darrell Miller at Fox Rothschild.
