The Specialist novels are getting a TV series adaptation
From 1984 into 1985, author John Shirley (using the pen name John Cutter) wrote the eleven books in the Specialist series: A Talent for Revenge, Manhattan Revenge, Sullivan’s Revenge, The Psycho Soldiers, The Maltese Vengeance, The Big One, The Vendetta, One-Man Army, Vengeance Mountain, Beirut Retaliation, and American Vengeance, introducing readers to a character named Jack Sullivan. The concept got a loose film adaptation with the 1994 film The Specialist – so loose that the lead character’s name wasn’t even Jack Sullivan (it was Ray Quick). Now, Deadline reports that the Specialist books are set to receive a TV series adaptation, as AR Content, the banner founded by Oscar-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky, has optioned the television rights to all 11 of the novels.
According to Deadline, AR Content is going to “bring the material into present day, exploring the moral and tactical complexities of modern, drone-era warfare. The company is currently in discussions with showrunners.” In the updated version, The Specialist is a morally conflicted former military drone operator, haunted by his past and desperate to reclaim his humanity. Drawing from real-time battlefield developments from the war in Ukraine and beyond, the series will integrate cutting-edge technology including FPV drones, kamikaze UAVs, thermite attacks and fiber-optic drones – devices capable of destroying tanks, dismantling organized crime networks and bypassing traditional security measures. Given the absence of current defenses against such technology, The Specialist exposes how the rules of war are being written in real time.
Rodnyansky, who was born in Ukraine and had to flee his home in Moscow because he’s a vocal critic of the war in the region, provided the following statement: “I’ve experienced firsthand how modern war is reshaping our world and have felt a deep responsibility to explore its consequences and meaning through storytelling. The Specialist is an opportunity to expose and examine a world shaped by remote warfare, where technology has changed the rules of engagement, but the emotional and psychological toll remains deeply human. At the same time, we’re building this series using an international co-production, independent model that allows us to maintain ownership while bringing the story to audiences worldwide.” Shirley added, “My Specialist books, written as John Cutter, are about one man fighting for justice for other people, other causes, against titanically dangerous institutions of criminality or oppression. In the reborn The Specialist from AR Content, our hero extends his reach with the power of innovative technology at the cutting edge and beyond, because science fiction has become reality.“
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