Xombie gets illustrated

We just got a heads up that Halo-8 Entertainment has signed on Matt Pizzolo (GODKILLER) to direct the “illustrated film” adaptation of XOMBIE: REANIMATED. What the shite does “illustrated film” mean? It’s when elements of a comic or graphic novel are set into what appears to be motion or animation (but not), with music, sound effects, and voice talents to help tell the story. Basically, it’s like filming the panels of a comic and providing all the sound effects that go into it. But cooler and more sophisticated.

XOMBIE: REANIMATED is the story of Dirge, a dead man with a mind of his own, who struggles against his posthumous cravings (not to mention legions of the living dead). Dirge protects a girl and her family from a horde of attacking zombies.

I can dig the concept well enough, and I’ve always dug the world of XOMBIE, which started as a web series of Flash animations a few years ago and has since gone on to comic books, graphic novels, and illustrated films. XOMBIE creator James Farr had this to say about the new project: I am thrilled to be working with Halo-8 again. Not only is Matt Pizzolo an incredible talent, but he loves Xombie every bit as much as I do.

Cool beans. Pizzolo’s GODKILLER is getting some positive buzz so it should be interesting to see what he does here. I’ve seen these illustrated films before and they work pretty well. However, I don’t know if I could sit through a full-length feature film of this style of ‘animation.’ 15 minutes I could handle, 30 minutes I could tolerate, but a full 90 minutes? The story had better be amazing for me to last that long.

Production is set to begin in 2010, with a theatrical release hitting later that year. Theatrical release? Wow. Now that’s ambitious. Stick around for more XOMBIE: REANIMATED as we hear it!