IDW Options Sci-Fi Novel Awakened for TV Adaptation

IDW Entertainment has optioned the television rights for the upcoming novel Awakened, by Impractical Jokers‘ James Murray and sci-fi writer Darren Wearmouth.

Murray is best known as “Murr,” one of the stars of the hit truTV series Impractical Jokers, which he also serves as an executive producer on. He will also executive produce the TV adaptation of Awakened. IDW Entertainment will develop and package the project as a scripted series with a goal of securing a straight-to-series commitment.

Awakened posits that there’s something living beneath New York City, and it’s not happy to have been woken up. The novel is being published by Harper Voyager and is slated for release in summer 2018.

“Murr has a tremendously talented creative mind, which is evident from the huge success of Impractical Jokers,” said IDW Entertainment President David Ozer. “He has brought that genius into publishing with his first novel Awakened. The book is a beautiful fit for our development strategy, blending humor with shocking discoveries and high-action exploits creating a riveting thriller in the process. We are very much looking forward to working with James and Darren Wearmouth on developing Awakened for genre fans worldwide.”

“Writing alongside Darren was an incredibly rewarding process, which I thoroughly enjoyed and is apparent on every page of the book,” added Murray. “We’re thrilled that IDW Entertainment sees the story’s value as filmed entertainment and we are eager to be involved in the creative development of Awakened, the TV series.”