March 24, 2009 Instances of the rights to comic books being acquired and developed into movies before all of the whole comic series has been released, have become increasingly common. The latest is Freedom Formula, a five issue comic series created by Edmund Shern.
And the guy eyeing the property? None other than The Usual Suspects, X-Men (the first two) and Superman Returns director Bryan Singer. He, along with his production company Bad Hat Harry, has teamed up with Radical Pictures to develop the comic into a big-screen movie that will be distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Now, for any avid Singer fans out there, of which I am one (what he did with the first two X-Men films was damn near a movie miracle and he created a masterpiece with The Usual Suspects), you might want to reel in your excitement just a little bit: he won’t be directing Freedom Formula.
Currently he’s attached as a producer (through his production company Bad Hat Harry), which marks his second producing attachment this week – he also teamed up with Warner Bros. to option the comic Capeshooters.
Since Freedom Formula is a pretty fresh comic series (not even available in its entirety yet), you most likely don’t know what it’s about (if you do you, sorry for the re-hash!). Here’s the general outline:
It’s described as a futuristic “Top Gun” in which racing exo-suits have replaced fighter jets. The story focuses on a genetically engineered racer who learns that his bloodline has the power to change society.
Radical Pictures not only does film producing, but is also a comic book publishing company under the name Radical Publishing (why makes things complicated?). In addition to the film, Radical is already in talks to expand the comic book into anime and video game formats.
While not saying too much, Singer has given us at least some thoughts on why he has pursued Freedom Formula:
“This is a timeless story about young people struggling to break free of authority. That’s what ultimately appealed to me,” Singer said.
And Radical’s Barry Levine added: “There are great set pieces, but this is character-driven.”
Courtesy of: http://screenrant.com/bryan-singer-doing-comic-book-adaptation-freedom-formula-ross-6295/
