MGM options J. Michael Straczynski's RISING STARS

MGM has optioned Rising Stars, a comic book series created by Babylon 5 creator and Sense8 writer J. Michael Straczynski.

The comic book originally ran from 1999 to 2005 (although only 24 issues were published due to huge delays between issues, resulting from difficulties between the publishers and Straczynski). It charts what happens when a meteor explodes over an American town, somehow imbuing 113 children in utero at the time with special powers. They grow up to become the "Specials", monitored by the US government. Years later, someone starts murdering Specials, resulting in their powers being redistributed amongst the other Specials and making them all more powerful. This poses a problem when some of the Specials want nothing at all to do with their abilities.

Straczynski himself with write the script, with a director to be announced.