The comic book Alias – not to be confused with the J.J. Abrams spy show of the same name – is widely considered to be one of Brian Michael Bendis’ best works as a comic book writer (it’s also the reason that Marvel’s Max Imprint exists).

It was announced earlier this year that Alias would be developed for TV as A.K.A. Jessica Jones, and today we have word from the writer, Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight), on what we can expect.

On the original book by Brian Bendis – courtesy of I Am Rogue – Rosenberg said:

“Brian Michael Bendis is such an amazing storyteller. I read that comic book & I completely saw it on screen. There're things I took directly from the comic book and just put in the script. That was so much fun to do.”

On the status of the show:

“It’s still sitting at ABC and we’re hoping to get on the schedule for next fall. I love this character. That is an incredibly damaged, dark, complex female character that kicks ass. That’s my favorite thing about it.”

On whether or not A.K.A. will stick closely to the “superhero turned private detective” source material:

“Yeah, absolutely, but Jessica Jones is actually a former superhero with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My psychologist father-in-law said, ‘I don’t know why all superheroes aren’t PTSD.’ It’s a trip. So she is wrestling with having this damaged past and still trying to contribute something to the world.”

On whether or not Luke Cage – A.K.A. Power Man – will show up and if he and Jessica will have a child, like in the comics:

“Luke Cage is in there. Absolutely, I love that character.  [Jones and Cage’s child, Danielle] would be way down the road. When you give your superheroes babies it gets very complicated. I went through that on 'Dexter,' although it gives you some new interesting storytelling.”

On whether or not she was a fan of comic books before writing A.K.A.:

“I don’t read a lot of them (comic books). ABC gave that one to me and I had never heard of it or Brian Michael Bendis. But now I’m a fan, he’s really so great. But I was new to it, for sure.”

Despite the fact that Melissa Rosenberg has written episodes of Dexter, her writing resume otherwise (The OC, Step Up, the short-lived and terrible Birds of Prey TV show, and the Twilight films) doesn’t exactly scream “dark” and “gritty”  - or realistically emotional, for that matter. Still, if she’s more or less transcribing the comic book into a teleplay, personal style might not make much of a difference.

It’s interesting that there are currently three TV shows being adapted from Brian Michael Bendis comic books: Ultimate Spider-Man, Powers, and A.K.A. Jessica Jones. While the man has arguably begun to stagnate creatively in his native art form (his talking-head Avengers books are beginning to bore even hardcore Bendis fans), these shows are major reminders that he has more than a few excellent books in his comicography.

Are you guys looking forward to A.K.A. Jessica Jones? Let us know in the comments.

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Follow me on Twitter @benandrewmoore.

A.K.A. Jessica Jones is being developed for next fall on ABC.

Source: I Am Rogue