Marvel Studios’s Developing 'Nova' Series Grabs Ed Bernero As Showrunner

Marvel Television is closer to bringing a long-sought character to life

Three months after Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum confirmed that a series centered on Richard Rider aka the cosmic hero Nova was in development, a captain has officially been named. Edward Allen “Ed” Bernero, who created the NBC procedural Third Watch before moving onto Criminal Minds, has boarded the superhero series as writer and showrunner.

Bernero replaces Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada, who was originally hired when the project was first being developed two and a half years ago with no clear direction in terms of format, when the options were feature film or limited series. Even a Special Presentation like Werewolf By Night and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (though obviously not holiday-oriented) was reported at one point. Now that Marvel Television is crafting its television series for longevity thanks to a mid-dual strike reevaluation, Nova is headed in what is hoped to be a multi-season series direction.

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The Richard Rider Nova debuted in The Man Called Nova #1 (Sept. 1976), written by Marv Wolfman, who also created Blade and a plethora of DC characters, and drawn by John Buscema. He is a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, an organization that as part of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been most attached to the Guardians of the Galaxy. It is there he gained superhuman abilities including enhanced strength, flight and resistance to injury. His original comic lasted 25 issues until May 1979. After a decade of severe and relative obscurity, he emerged as a founding member of the New Warriors and has been part of that basically ever since. The iteration of Nova familiar to people whose primary way to consume superhero media is film and television might know Sam Alexander better, as a main cast member of Ultimate Spider-Man voiced by Logan Miller, who voices a separate iteration on the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series.

Bernero co-created and executive produced NBC’s Third Watch before serving as executive producer and showrunner of CBS drama series Criminal Minds. He would go on to co-create and executive produce its spinoff Suspect Behavior, which lasted a season in early 2011. He also created and executive produced the crime drama Crossing Lines.

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Source: Deadline