The filmmaker behind The First Purge, Gerard McMurray, has signed an overall deal with BET Studios, per The Hollywood Reporter. As part of the creator’s overall deal, CBS Studios is teaming up with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions to produce McMurray’s adaptation of Resonant, a post-apocalyptic comic book title from Vault Comics.

Vault Comics’ Resonant by David Andry, Alejandro Aragon, Jason Wordie, and Deron Bennett is set a decade after an apocalyptic event known as the Waves hit and plunged humanity into chaos by unleashing people’s most violent impulses. The tale focuses on a single father Paxton, who has managed to carve out an oasis of peace for his three children. However, when Paxton’s chronically ill youngest son needs medicine to survive, the father and his children are separated, and they must battle everything in their path to reunite.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

“My company, Buppie Productions, is committed to creating exciting and entertaining content that reflects the Black experience across all genres,” said McMurray in a statement. “BET is an iconic brand that has been at the forefront of creating spaces for Black creators like myself to showcase our talent. I’m proud to partner with BET Studios to bring my unique vision for storytelling to the television landscape. Resonant is the perfect first project for me to kick off my deal with BET. I’m also excited to be working with CBS Studios, Vault Comics and the amazing team at Scott Free Productions to bring the graphic novel to life as a TV series.”

McMurray is set to act as writer, director, and executive producer of the BET project. Resonant’s other executive producers include Damian Wassel and F.J. DeSanto for Vault and Scott, David W. Zucker, Jordan Sheehan, and Clayton Krueger for Scott Free.

Gerard McMurray to Helm Black Adaptation

     Black Mask Studios

In March 2022, it was announced that The First Purge filmmaker would also helm another project that is a comic book adaptation, Black, about a world in which only Black people have superpowers. Hailing from Studio 8, with distribution by Warner Bros., the Black adaptation will follow the Black Mask Studios comic Black [AF]: America’s Sweetheart by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith.

“Black is a bold and fresh spin on the superhero genre. I fell in love with the colorful world Kwanza and Tim created in the comics, and I’m excited to bring life to a story that entertains and challenges the audience at the same time. Black does just that,” said McMurray in a statement.