Comic book creator Rob Liefeld was once the guy who didn’t want to be that guy – as in the guy who spoke out of turn to Twitter followers and fans on something he wasn’t directly involved in. This was during the course of early development on the Deadpool sequel following up last year’s Winter success making it the highest-earning R-rated comic book movie ever, and it still is that way as that sequel moves forward under a new director.
With this, it appears Liefeld’s other work now makes him the proud center of the latest news breaking via several trade sources on Tuesday. The IP in question regards the Extreme Universe – a catalog of nine comic books with over 100 characters now on par for big screen treatment in a seven-figure deal that places Liefeld with producer Graham King, partnering company Fundemental Films, Akiva Goldsman of Weed Road Pictures and Energy Entertainment’s Brooklyn Weaver.
via Variety:
Said King: “Rob has an uncanny ability to create unique stories with unforgettable characters and Extreme Universe is no exception. These stories are fantastic and I couldn’t imagine better partners on this project than Mark and his team at Fundamental Films.”
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“Over the past nearly 25 years, since launching Image Comics, I’ve been lucky enough to see the power of these stories and characters as they’ve resonated with several generations of comic book fans,” Liefeld said. “To now be able to work with Akiva Goldsman and Graham King, who are powerhouses in their own right, to bring these compelling characters and conflicts to life on the big screen is nothing short of a dream come true.”
Extreme Studios is one of severam studios that allocated its titles under the Image Comics banner, launching Youngblood in 1992 before leaving Image in 1996 to take shape with Awesome Comics. News on big screen development for Extreme Universe comes a few months following Goldsman’s attachment to Liefeld’s 1995 Maximum Press property, Avengelyne in the time since the award-winning scribe led writers’ rooms to expand the Transformers and Hasbro cinematic movieverses.
The first title among the bunch to advance forward for the big screen hasn’t been officially announced yet but with names like Brigade, Bloodstrike, Cybrid, Lethal, Re-Gex, Bloodwulf, Battlestone, Baboom and Nitro-Gen, I’d say the world’s armies of comic book fandom have plenty to pine over. Especially to Liefeld.
Details follow!