LOS ANGELES • Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin announced a development deal with Universal Cable Productions that could see his science-fiction superhero anthology series Wild Cards on television.

On his blog on Sunday, he wrote: "Wild Cards is a series of interlocking books, graphic novels, games... but, most of all, it is a universe as large and diverse and exciting as the comic book universes of Marvel and DC (though somewhat grittier and considerably more realistic and consistent), with an enormous cast of characters both major and minor."

He has been editing the anthology for nearly 30 years with his assistant editor Melinda Snodgrass. As he has an exclusive development agreement with HBO, Snodgrass and Gregory Noveck (RED, 2010) would produce it.

Numerous sci-fi authors have contributed to the series, which has 22 volumes so far.

According to Martin, it is set after World War II, when an alien virus is released, leading to deaths and horrifying mutations, while others gain superpowers.

He said he hopes to see it on the small screen "in the next year or two".