Y: the Last Man was first adapted for the screen as a feature film by Jeff Vintar (I, Robot) for New Line Cinema. Faithful to the original brilliant comic book, the script hit a wall when it reached the desk of Toby Emmerich, head of New Line, who told the producers, "I know you guys like this... but I just don't get it." Y: the Last Man would undergo years of development hell at New Line with endless drafts before the rights finally returned to Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra, opening the door for this new TV series.
Y: the Last Man has been in development since 2003 when Jeff Vintar was hired to first adapt the DC Comics series for New Line Cinema and executive Cale Boyter with David Goyer producing.