NBC Drops The Sixth Gun From Their Fall Lineup

By Rudie Obias | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

SixthAdapting graphic novels into TV shows isn’t a new practice. The Walking Dead is the perfect example of why a comic book should be considered for the small screen instead of a movie adaptation, especially if the source material is lengthy and in-depth. TV gives the ability for a story to breathe and expand, as a movie needs to be more focused and visceral. While other TV networks and broadcasters are looking for the new Walking Dead, it looks like NBC has passed on a series that could’ve had some potential.

We’ve written about the TV adaptation of the Oni Press graphic novel The Sixth Gun since January, but according to THR, NBC has not picked up the Civil War-era TV series. The comic’s creators, writer Cullen Bunn & artist Brian Hurtt, recently tweeted their disappointment in The Sixth Gun not going to series, but at the end of the day, we still have the comic book to look forward to, with the sixth and final issue due out this June.

If it had been picked up, The Sixth Gun would have become an hour-long NBC drama. Originally, The Sixth Gun was being developed for Syfy as a six-part miniseries, but because of the success of Revolution, NBC thought it could have found a larger audience on network TV rather than cable.

The Sixth Gun pilot episode was produced by Carlton Cuse (Lost, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.) and was written by Ryan Condal (Hercules: The Thracian Wars). Eric Gitter and Andy Borne of Closed on Mondays Comics (Oni Press’ sister publisher) served as the pilot’s executive producers.

The graphic novel follows a shadowy gunfighter named Drake Sinclair, who is sworn to protect an innocent girl, and who comes into possession of a mysterious pistol that awakens dangerous forces. The Sixth Gun takes place during the darkest days of the Civil War and combines elements of science fiction with the supernatural.

It’s unclear why NBC passed on The Sixth Gun, but hopefully they’ll make the pilot episode available for fans to watch. Most likely NBC will screen the pilot at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. The Sixth Gun graphic novel was nominated for a handful of awards, including the Eisner Award for Best Writer and Harvey Award for Best New Series.

You can read the first issue of The Sixth Gun for FREE at OniPress.com, which was part of Free Comic Book Day 2010.