Hollywood has been adapting hit comic books into to movies and TV shows for decades, though usually only of the superhero variety. In recent years, there has been an influx of non-superhero comic properties being greenlit for big and small screen adaptations: Mark Millar's Kingsman: The Secret Service, Vertigo's iZombie on the CW, Robert Kirkman's Outcast on Cinemax and Thief of Thieves on AMC - just to name a few.
With New York Comic Con in full-swing this weekend there's been a lot of buzz around all the comic book properties being developed for film and television. Some are hosting screenings at the convention - like NBC's Constantine, which is screening its pilot this evening - while others will be there updating fans on their progress from page to screen - like Brian Michael Bendis' Powers, which finally found a home on Sony's Playstation Network.
As Hollywood continues to mine the comic book industry for inspiration, yet another series is being sought for a film adaptation. Deadline has learned that Image Comics' newest series - the horror comic Wytches from writer Scott Snyder (American Vampire) and artist Jock (Batman: The Black Mirror) - has been optioned by New Regency, with Plan B set to produce a feature film adaptation.
Wytches' first issue released just last week but the series has already received almost unanimous praise for its twisted and terrifying tale. The story centers on Sailor Rooks, a 13-year-old girl who, after enduring a truly horrific ordeal with a bully, moves with her family to a new community. This move may not be the fresh start they were hoping for, however, and soon the Rooks learn of an ancient evil lying in wait in the woods near their home that they'll be forced to fend off.
At first glance the premise behind Wytches may not appear all that groundbreaking, but in the hands of Snyder, the story of ancient, powerful beings - the wytches, who have nothing to do with pointy hats or broomsticks - becomes an evocative tale about fear and what it can make even the most innocent do in order to survive.
Snyder has already seen great success with the Vertigo horror series - American Vampire - and it's likely only a matter of time before some production company taps that comic for either a film or television adaption. Before taking over the current Batman title, Snyder worked with Jock on a highly-praised run of Detective Comics.
Those issues were eventually collected as Batman: The Black Mirror, which followed Dick Grayson during his stint in the cowl and was positively eerie in its tone and depiction of Gotham as a city brimming with horrors. Conveying that sense of horror relied just as heavily on Jock's stunning artwork as it did Snyder's prose, so it's very good news that both will serve as executive producers on a Wytches feature film.
Are you excited to hear Wytches has been picked up for a feature film adaptation so quickly? With only so little of Wytches' story having been revealed thus far, how do you imagine a feature film will differ from its comic book inspiration? Sound off in the comments below!
Stay tuned to Screen Rant as more details about a Wytches feature film become available.
Source: Deadline