Update: Deadline has revealed the comic is being adapted by Cinemax, HBO's sibling.
Deadline has confirmed that the project indeed is in development but at HBO sibling Cinemax. Bendis, co-creator of the Marvel character Jessica Jones and the long-running Marvel/Icon title Powers, both which have been adapted for television, spoke of the potential Scarlett TV series at the ATX Television Festival in Austin.
Speaking about his ongoing comics work, Bendis said “I do a book called Scarlet which is soon to be announced also in our universe of television. Not announced yet, but HBO.” Bendis was careful to add that the project is “at the earliest stage”, but that “the team around it… will be announce as soon as all are on the same page.” Deadline has reached out to HBO for comment.
First published in 2010, the series follows a rebellious young Portland, Oregon woman named Scarlet Rue who ends up sparking a second American revolution. Drawing comparisons to (among other things) The Punisher in tone, the series is known for confrontational politics and intense violence. As Bendis put it during today’s panel, “Scarlet is a list of things you cant get made. Here’s a female lead who’s killing cops.” But, he says, “when it was sold, it was sold to people who were actively looking for that.”