"Freaks of the Heartland," the 2004 horror comic by Steve Niles and Greg Ruth, is being developed for television by MTV.

Published by Dark Horse, the miniseries centers on Trevor Owen, whose 6-year-old brother Will is kept hidden in the barn behind the house. The boy, who towers over his older brother and possesses monstrous strength, has remained the family's secret. However, when the sheriff discovers Will and kills their father in a struggle, the boys go on the run and discover that other "freak" children were born to local families -- many killed by the sheriff years ago.

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The adaptation hails from Dark Horse Entertainment, the movie and TV arm of Dark Horse, and Universal Cable Productions. Deadline reports that Geoff Davey and Peter Sattler ("Camp X-Ray") are on board as writers, with David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") to produce and direct, subject to availability.

Niles will executive produce alongside Dark Horse's Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg, and the Gotham Group.

If ordered to series, "Freaks of the Heartland" would join such series as "Scream," "The Shannara Chronicles" and "Mary + Jane" on MTV's slate of scripted programs.