Comic-Con News: Universal Cable Productions announced two new comic book related television development deals today: an adaptation by Warren Ellis of Daniel Munoz’s 1970s Mexican comic El Pantera, and an option for Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery’s Kill Shakespeare.

The character of El Pantera (The Panther) was created in the 70's by writer Daniel Munoz and artist Juan Alba for Mundo Vid. The character starred in his own comic series, and also appeared  in two novels penned by Munoz. The comic was adapted for a Mexican television series which ran from 2007 – 2010 on Canal 5. The vigilante crime drama is set in a fictitious town on the U.S./Mexican border, where a young police officer helps free a friend who was framed for a horrible crime. The pair create “El Pantera” to free the city from corruption and Mexican mob control.

 This is Warren Ellis’s first original television project, which he will adapt with Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment attached to produce. Televisa USA will co-produce with UCP. 

UCP has also optioned the IDW Publishing comic series Kill Shakespeare, a dark spin on the characters of William Shakespeare, which pits his heroes of various plays against his most infamous villains in a war to find the mysterious wizard Shakespeare, and either save him, or kill him. Creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery will write the adaptation.

IDW Games adapted the critically acclaimed comic series into a board game as the flagship title of its game division last year (see “IDW Games Launches with 'Kill Shakespeare'”).

UCP has been busy beefing up its “genre” property library this week, as it also announced a “first look” deal with Dark Horse Comics yesterday (see “Dark Horse Signs 'First Look' Deal with Universal Cable Productions”).