Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Hungry Ghosts’ Graphic Novels in Development as TV Series
Sadly, Anthony Bourdain is no longer with us, but the beloved chef, author, and television personality may still have at least one new project coming to the small screen.
According to entertainment site Deadline, Sony Pictures Animation is developing an animated series based around Hungry Ghosts — the Dark Horse-published series of graphic novels/comic books written by Bourdain and Joel Rose. Though additional details are slim, Deadline did explain that the show “will be an anthology of frightening, hilarious, twisted, and culinary-inspired ghost stories. Each episode will range in tone and will look completely different from the last, taking advantage of various forms of animation to best fit each story.”
Bourdain first teamed with Rose to write a graphic novel back in 2012 when the duo penned Get Jiro!, set in “a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town like crime lords and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants.” A sequel followed in 2015 called Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi. But by 2018, the duo had moved on to a new project: the first issue in a comic book series: Hungry Ghosts.
Publisher Dark Horse described the series writing, “Inspired by the Japanese Edo period game of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, Hungry Ghosts reimagines the classic stories of yokai, yorei, and obake, all tainted with the common thread of food.” Four issues of Hungry Ghosts were released, with the last one arriving on May 9, 2018, a month before the chef’s untimely passing. In September, they were issued in a single anthology that also featured additional material including original Bourdain recipes.
But for now, keep in mind that “in development” is a very broad term in the entertainment industry — meaning everything from someone jotted down some notes on a napkin to Sony plans to air the show by the end of the year. But seeing as no additional details have yet to emerge, you probably shouldn’t expect to see Hungry Ghosts on your TV anytime soon.
The graphic novel version of Hungry Ghosts is currently available on Amazon.
