On the eve of San Diego Comic Con, some people in Hollywood must have realized there are still a few comic properties that haven’t already been grabbed for movie treatment.
Sifting through the bargain bins, producers Waterman Entertainment dug up the late-80s Marvel series STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI, and has the book’s creator Peter B. Gillis adapting for the screen. The story follows soldiers enhanced with crap-shoot super-powers (some great, some worthless) in order to fight a war against invading aliens in the future. The downside to their new abilities is that they have less than a year to live once the process is complete. The Sci-Fi Channel had once planned to turn the property into a series, which never materialized. [Variety]
Meanwhile, the Top Cow comic THE DARKNESS is getting a new shot at the big time, thanks to production company Mandeville Films (THE FIGHTER). The book involves a young mob hitman who can manifest other-dimensional demonic matter like imps and tentacles to do his bidding. Previous attempts at a movie had directors like the Pang Brothers (THE EYE) and Andrew Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS) lined up. The property was already adapted into a 2007 console videogame, with a sequel currently in the works. [LA Times]
And last but certainly not least, Warner Bros. and producer/noisemaker Neal Moritz (FAST AND THE FURIOUS series) are planning a feature based on Christian Gossett’s THE RED STAR. The epic story takes place in a futuristic parallel universe where Communism and the Soviet Empire have survived the test of time, and where magic and war machines work in unison. Internal corruption and perpetual border wars however have taken their toll on the Empire of the Red Star, and now her people long for an end to the hostilities, but nevertheless continue to fight to defend their motherland from those that threaten her.
The property has been kicking around Hollywood since its 1999 debut, most recently with Universal and director/producer Timur Bekmambetov (WANTED). A videogame based on the comic was released in 2007 for Playstation 2. [Heat Vision]
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