CHEW Graphic Novel Writer Says Showtime Adaption Not Happening

The quirky cop drama had been optioned to the premiere cable network in 2011 in association with one of the companies behind AMC’s hit zombie drama The Walking Dead.

CHEW, the Eisner Award-winning American comic book series written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory, tells of a future where poultry is illegal and Tony Chu, an Agent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, uses the psychic impressions he gets by eating things (including people) to track down criminals.

In March 2011, a CHEW script written by Terri Hughes Burton and Ron Milbauer was purchased by Showtime to occupy a 30-minute slot. It was later changed upped to one hour. Production company Circle of Confusion, one of the companies involved with bringing the acclaimed graphic novel series The Walking Dead to AMC, were also in the mix.

Now, writer John Layman has taken to Twitter to reveal that the plans have evidently fallen through: "There will not be a CHEW TV series on Showtime."

No further explanation has been given at this time. Stephen Hopkins (Californiacation, In Plain Sight, 24) had signed on to direct and produce the pilot, which was supposed to go into production sometime this year.