The Hollywood Reporter has a story this morning about how SUPERMAN producer Pierre Spengler has a 12-picture option on titles drawn from the library of Humanoides, starting with I AM LEGION, by Fabien Nury and John Cassaday, who is set to direct the movie. Spengler has things like hedge funds involved for backing, and a $20 mil privately funded war chest to get going.
We hear rumblings that Humanoides may be planning another venture into the American comics market as well, and the movie deal would only fuel the speculative fires. The last run of Humanoids ended after a distribution deal with DC folded.
According to the Reporter:
“I think there’s great potential there. We’ve picked 12 titles to develop first,” Spengler said, ahead of a trip to next week’s Comic Con in San Diego. English translations of Humanoides’ major titles have been distributed in the U.S. through D.C. Comics since 2004, “I Am Legion” being the first to go this route.
Set in 1942, “Legion” tells of a diabolical attempt by the Nazis to develop a new weapon through controlling people’s minds. Cassaday will follow in the footsteps of fellow graphic artists such as Frank Miller (“Sin City”) and Enki Bilal (“Immortal”) and make the transition to director for the movie adaptation. Nury has written the screenplay. Budgeted at about $15 million depending on cast, the film is due to shoot early next year in Croatia. Spengler will produce along with former Humanoides president Fabrice Giger.
Other titles in the initial film lineup include an adaptation of the “Metabarons” series penned by Alexandro Jodorowsky; “The Horde,” a future-set fantasy about a Russian dictator who models himself on Genghis Khan; Mexican wrestling story “Lucha Libre”; the zombie love story “Fragile”; and an animation adaptation of the series “The Zombie That Ate the World.”
Someone has to say it: “In other words — ASTONISHING X-MEN will be really really late.”
I’m just excited at the thought of Humanoids potentially making another run at the American comics market. We could use more of their output over here. I’m still a stickler for the oversized format, though. Please don’t shrink it down!
Anyone who has read Humanoid Graphic Novels knows that you can not turn any of the Humanoids stories into a movie for less than 50-80 million dollars EACH. Any attempt to make it for less would have really weird results, and I don’t want to see the stories ruined.
i’ve read I AM LEGION many times. and, yes, you can do it for the projected budget. like alan moore always says, whatever happened to the days of creative film making? instead of relying on cgi and stuff? i have the utmost confident in cassaday to pull this off and can not wait to see it come to fruition!
Maybe it’s because I am half-German and grew up in Germany, but I am so sick of the “Nazis will turn X into a WEAPON to RULE THE WORLD” plotline, especially since it is written by people who have no idea who a) funded the Nazis (hello, Mr. Rockefeller, hello, Mr. Ford and so many others) and b) that all of those who funded them still are out there making money or had a big say in world politics behind the scenes over the past sixty years (hello, Mr. Hugo Boss and hey, is that Ferdinand Porsche I see over there? And who would have known that I see you here, Mr. Wernher von Braun).
You know, people, at least do a bit of research before making those people look like the evil Keystone Cops.
are you talking about the nazi’s when you say,”at least do a bit of research before making those people look like the evil Keystone Cops.”? if so, when did what they did during WWII become okay?
Hack again?!