Garth Ennis is ready to cross another comic book adaptation off his list. The creator, whose Preacher and The Boys have already been adapted for TV, has penned a script for a movie adaptation of his comic Crossed. And now indie outfit Six Studios has acquired the screenplay, with an intention to finance and back the movie.
Crossed takes place in a pandemic-stricken world, in which those who catch a disease are marked with a cross-like rash on their faces. Those afflicted follow their worst impulses — think a zombie apocalypse, but instead of zombies, these are humans who retain their intellect, but are homicidal maniacs.
The original 10 issues that inspire the movie were published from 2008-10, but the franchise has spawned more than 200 issues from various writers and artists, including talents like Watchmen scribe Alan Moore.
Six Studios is now on the hunt for a director for the project, which they expect to be in the $2 million to $3 million range, though that could increase for the right talent. The plan is to go into production in the fall.
Carl Choi of Six Studios will produce along with Ben Hung of Retro Entertainment and Ken Levin of Nightsky Productions. Hung and Levin developed the project with Ennis and brought the property to Six Studios. Six Studios’ Jeff Huang will executive produce along with Ennis, Carl Amari and Bill Patterson.
Amazon’s adaptation of Ennis’ The Boys has become one of the most acclaimed comic book shows of the decade, with Amazon saying its fourth season is among the service’s most viewed seasons of TV ever. It has launched multiple spinoffs, and will conclude with season five. Preacher, meanwhile, ran for four seasons from 2016-19.
Six Studios’ Choi says the script is an intimate, human story. “It was the most faithful adaptation possible,” says Choi, who likens it to Contagion meets The Walking Dead, with hints of Alex Garland’s Civil War, in that it’s a road movie across a ravaged United States.
Six Studios is also developing The Riftwar Saga for TV, and was behind Curse of the Sin Eater, which Samuel Goldwyn acquired in October.
Source: Hollywoodreporter
