London-based production company Power has optioned Anthony Lappé and Dan Goldman’s Shooting War to develop as a television series.

The political thriller and satire, which began life as a webcomic, was released as a graphic novel in the United States by Grand Central Publishing, and in the U.K. by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

You can read the full press release after the break:

Power Options Critically Acclaimed Graphic Novel ‘Shooting War’

Power is going ahead with the development of a brand new state-of-the-art series on the war on terror, the media and the rise of “citizen journalism” after optioning the film and television rights for Anthony Lappé’s critically-acclaimed graphic novel SHOOTING WAR, illustrated by Dan Goldman.

The graphic novel, which was recently published by Grand Central Publishing in the US and Wiedenfeld & Nicolson in the UK, is a near-future political thriller/dark satire about a young blogger whose greatest dream becomes his worst nightmare when he finds himself in over his head trying to cover an out-of-control front of the war on terror.

The deal was brokered by Brendan Deneen of Objective Entertainment and Luke Speed of Marjacq on behalf of Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment, who originally sold the book to Executive Editor Jaime Levine at Grand Central. SHOOTING WAR began its life as an online serialized web comic on Smithmag.net, where it garnered instant critical raves, leading to the sale as a hardcover graphic novel.

Power is currently in co-production with Crusoe, an action-packed 13 part series for NBC in the US; XIII: The Conspiracy, starring Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff; and the political two part mini series The Summit starring Mia Maestro, James Purefoy and Christopher Plummer, which will all headline at MIP.

Anthony Lappé, a journalist and documentary film-maker who has written for The New York Times and produced the Amnesty International Award-winning Showtime documentary about Iraq, “BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire’s Edge,” comments: “I originally conceived SHOOTING WAR as a film so I’m very excited to have it come full circle. I really respect the kind of material Power develops and produces, and am excited to work with them in bringing SHOOTING WAR to life.”

Power founder and CEO Justin Bodle said: “This has to be the graphic novel of 2007. I am delighted that Power now has the opportunity to bring this astute, vivid and brilliant web serial and book to the screen.”

Praise for SHOOTING WAR:

“A stunningly rendered graphic novel that manages to stick a red-hot skewer into the war on terror, Islamic jihad, the mainstream media and the antiestablishment blogosphere in one fell swoop” (Newsweek)

One of the “100 Best Things in the World” (British GQ)

“Ferocious satire” (Financial Times)

“The Apocalypse Now of the War on Terrorism” (Forbes)

“Scary-smart” (Rolling Stone)

“Nothing short of spectacular” (Wired.com)

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