It was back in 2017 when Deadline first reported efforts by Studio 8 to advance Black, an independent comic book birthed into fruition and crowdfunded a year prior from creators Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3 of Black Mask Studios, with Black Mask Studio’s Matteo Pizzolo also joining as producer.
The word now, according to Deadline’s Amanda N’Duka, is that Warner Bros. will be taking the reigns for a feature film adaptation. DC’s Titans producer Bryan Edward Hill will pen the script which “centers on one young man who survives a violent event and realizes that he is part of these extraordinary people, but a secret consortium wants to control these abilities and those who possess them, and he soon finds himself at the center of a war over the future of mankind itself.”
Studio 8’s Jeff Robinov, Guy Danella, and John Graham will produce with Pizzolo, and with Black Mask’s Brett Gurewitz exec producer. Osajyefo, a former Marvel and DC digital editor, and Smith will co-produce.
“Part of the inspiration for Black came from my experiencing the lack of representation in comics publishing and how that directly relates to the scarceness of black characters,” said Osajyefo. “For most of comics’ history, white outcasts have been used as allegories for marginalized groups while claiming to reflect the world outside our window. BLACK strips away this veneer to juxtapose superpowers with race while allowing black people to see ourselves authentically in media and inviting wider audiences into parts of our experience. We’re excited to bring this story to everyone through film, and thankful to Studio 8 for believing in it.”
“We became involved in the development of this story over a year ago,” said Studio 8 CEO Jeff Robinov. “Black represents a new generation of storytellers and creators who can accurately tell black stories with the type of care the industry has lacked for decades. The thought-provoking concept caught our attention early on, and we’re proud to play a role in bringing this story to the screen.”
More at Deadline.
Lead image source here.