George RR Martin's Wild Cards picked up by Mr Robot and Suits studio

The author has promised the series is a 'universe, as large and diverse and exciting as the comic book universes of Marvel and DC'

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Game of Thrones is fast hurtling to its conclusion - but that doesn't mean it's the end of the TV line for author George R.R. Martin.

It looks like we may be about to launch straight into another of his elaborate worlds; Variety reports Universal Cable Productions - behind the likes of Mr. Robot and Suits - has acquired the right to develop Martin's anthology series Wild Cards, following an announcement on his personal blog.

However, because of his exclusive development agreement with HBO, Martin himself won't be allowed to work on the new project; his assistant editor Melinda Snodgrass and Gregory Noveck are executive producing instead.

"The shared world of the Wild Cards diverged from our own on September 15, 1946 when an alien virus was released in the skies over Manhattan, and spread across an unsuspecting Earth," Martin wrote of his series. "Of those infected, 90% died horribly, drawing the black queen, 9% were twisted and deformed into jokers, while a lucky 1% became blessed with extraordinary and unpredictable powers and became aces. The world was never the same."

"Wild Cards is a series of 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 more consistent), with an enormous cast of characters both major and minor. There are thousands of stories to be told in the world of the Wild Cards, and Gregory and Melinda and UPC hope to be able to tell many of them."

The first volume was published in 1986; twenty-two volumes have been published to date by various authors, with another - High Stakes - set for release later this month. Martin revealed there were also three more in the works, meaning the show won't have the same worries as Game of Thrones when it comes to running out of source material.

Martin expressed a hope Wild Cards will make it to screens "in the next year or two".

Meanwhile, HBO has confirmed season 7 of Game of Thrones will air later than its usual April slot, in summer 2017.