HBO Developing ‘V for Vendetta’ Series With James Gunn, Pete Jackson Writing

Overview

• HBO is developing a live-action V for Vendetta series, per multiple trade reports led by Variety. Pete Jackson (not the New Zealand filmmaker) is writing. DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are executive producers alongside Ben Stephenson (Poison Pen) and Leanne Klein (Wall to Wall Media).
• Warner Bros. Television will produce through its UK arm. No casting, directors, or release window are confirmed. HBO and DC declined comment, signaling the project is still early.
• Based on the seminal graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, the story tracks an anarchist in a Guy Fawkes mask battling a fascist regime, and Evey Hammond’s political awakening.
• The property’s cultural cachet remains massive. James McTeigue’s 2005 film, scripted by the Wachowskis and starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman, helped popularize the mask as a modern protest symbol. A 20th-anniversary theatrical re-release is planned for 2026.
• For HBO, this aligns with prestige DC storytelling. The Penguin expanded Matt Reeves’ Gotham, and Lanterns is expected in early 2026. The network also delivered 2019’s acclaimed Watchmen, proving space for bold, interpretive takes.
• Key watch-outs: Will Jackson deliver a faithful page-to-screen retelling, or a remix in the Watchmen mold? Earlier attempts, including a Channel 4 version and a Pennyworth-connected prequel thread, never went forward.
• Why it matters: The themes of authoritarianism, surveillance, and dissent feel freshly urgent. Long-form TV offers the runway to deepen the world-building, moral ambiguity, and political bite that define V for Vendetta.

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