Charles Burns’ “Black Hole” Finally Set for Adaptation

Image: Charles Burns/Fantagraphics

Netflix is developing a television adaptation of Charles Burns’ celebrated graphic novel Black Hole. Writer‑director Jane Schoenbrun — whose work includes an interview about her films and the features I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair — is attached to adapt the material and helm the series.

Originally published in a 12‑issue run between 1995 and 2005, Black Hole is set in a mid‑1970s Seattle suburb and follows a circle of adolescents who contract a mysterious sexually transmitted affliction known as the “Bug.” The infection produces visible mutations — from extra mouths and horns to tails — and forces those affected to the fringes of their community. Burns blends adolescent dread, grotesque body horror, and sexual discovery, telling the tale largely through the perspectives of Chris, an outwardly confident and well‑off student, and Keith, an anxious, introspective teen nursing an unrequited attraction.

According to Netflix, the series explores an isolating town myth: that early sexual activity leads to a contagious transformation. After a reckless encounter early in her senior year, Chris finds herself infected and exiled to the woods, where the community of the afflicted must contend not only with stigma but with a new, deadly menace — someone stalking and murdering their number.

Black Hole and its collected editions have earned critical accolades, including Harvey and Ignatz Awards. Charles Burns himself has been recognized repeatedly for his inking; the work is often noted for its dense black linework and an aesthetic that evokes woodcut and printmaking techniques.

Multiple attempts to bring Black Hole to screen have stalled over the years: filmmakers such as Alexandre Aja, David Fincher, and Rick Famuyiwa were at different times attached to earlier, unrealized projects based on the book.

This adaptation will mark Schoenbrun’s first television series. Netflix and Regency are producing the show; no release date has been announced.

Source: Polygon