With the announcement that the Mockingbird-centered Marvel's Most Wanted was going to pilot, does that mean the secret Marvel TV project being developed by John Ridley was dead? Not at all. Ridley was at the Winter TCA Press Tour to promote American Crime, however, he also touched on the status of the project. "The Marvel project is still very much alive," noting that his new detective drama for ABC, Presence, is not related to Marvel in any capacity. He added that his project will have "social consciousness" but will still deliver "pure entertainment".
"You look at Jessica Jones, and [Marvel's] doing an interesting job of integrating [social consciousness]. I would say in general, graphic novels, their reason for existence is a little different. It's about wish fulfillment, whether you're talking about Peter Parker, a young, misunderstood kid trying to figure out his way; if you're talking about Bruce Wayne, a man who's dealing with the loss of his parents; whether you're talking about Clark Kent, an orphan who's trying to figure out what he's meant to do without the guidance of his parents."
Rumors have varied that Ridley was developing everything from a Blade TV series starring his recently introduced daughter, a show starring the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan or a Cloak & Dagger series. Best known for screen writing 12 Years A Slave, Ridley has also written episodes of the animated Justice League series and Static Shock.