So ABC is turning the brilliant comic series Fables (the best the medium has to offer at this point) into a pilot with hopes (assumably) of getting it on the air in the 2009 fall season. ABC, the channel that just unceremoniously axed fantasy serials such as Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money all on one day.
Granted, from a business standpoint, it made sense. However, from a creative standpoint, it was a bit rough as all three were very well received shows which were harmed greatly by the writers strike last year. With that said, these are going to be easy sells comparatively to Fables, and all three were likely far more inexpensive than what it will cost to produce Fables (even with DSM's amazing cast).
Plus, this is a comic series which features a seductive spy version of Cinderella, an insane, sex obsessed, war mongerer version of Goldilocks, and a character who smokes more than the Marlboro Man (for good, and touching, reasons though). It's not exactly Disney material, who, coincidentally enough, owns ABC.
So my question is this...are they going to turn this into some sort of live action broadcast version of Enchanted? The way I figure it, this show has a stacked deck against it. It's going to be expensive, it's going to be a hard sell, it's built in audience is incredibly passionate and will abandon it if things are going awry. So why is Bill Willingham, god amongst men and crafter of the best comic series on the market, allowing ABC to put out this show instead of an HBO or Showtime (or even FX) who will put in the money to make this a success and will allow for the show to be presented the way it should be.
I do have to say though, I'm excited about the prospect of a Fables show. It's an incredible bit of source material, and if done right, it will be one of the best shows on TV. I'll classify myself as cautiously optimistic - I hope everything goes well. I hope I get to see Bigby and Snow White's love story on TV. I hope Pinocchio is still a foul mouthed perma child.
I hope.