Naoki Urasawa’s Monster Coming to TV?

I don’t normally talk about a lot of media adaptation announcements, because most of them, who knows if they’ll ever happen? (Although personally, I’d watch a Supernatural Law movie. Remember that plan?) I’m really eager to see this one, though, because the manga original was a terrific, twisty read, and the talent involved in the proposal is great.

Deadline reported that Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy director) is developing a series with HBO based on Naoki Urasawa’s manga. He will co-write with Steven Thompson (Doctor Who, Sherlock), and del Toro will direct the pilot.

The series, about a doctor who destroys his career saving the life of a boy who turns out to be a psychopathic killer, is well-suited to HBO, since it’s got artistic cred yet the possibility for violent content that couldn’t make it on network. The project was previously planned to be a feature film, in development at New Line since 2005, but the content — including the doctor’s attempts to find and stop the boy — was too much for a movie.

There was an anime adaptation, although only part of it is available on DVD.