Much like the legends that surround the place itself, the cinematic adaptation of Platinum Studios’ comic series Atlantis Rising will not stay sunk. Now Immortals co-producer Mark Canton has jumped aboard for the latest effort to get it on screen.
Crafted by Scott Michell Rosenberg, Atlantis Rising originally saw the light as a five-issue miniseries, which chronicled what happens when the world’s militaries investigate a series of deep-sea earthquakes. Given the title of the thing, you won’t be surprised to learn that they find the lost kingdom of Atlantis, whose inhabitants are none too pleased about the sudden intrusion from above. Events escalate from there and soon it’s all-out war.
It’s a tempting title for anyone planning a franchise, though given the scope and the likely effects costs, it’s also not the easiest sell to budget-conscious studios. One attempt has already floundered, with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman having tried to line up a version at DreamWorks that had Len Wiseman directing back in 2008.
Now though, Rosenberg and his Platinum team have the rights back, and they’re trying again with a new take on the story. And Canton seems to think there’s plenty of opportunity here: "Atlantis Rising has the franchise potential of Men In Black, which I greenlit for Scott while at Sony's Columbia TriStar," Canton tells Variety. "I'm looking forward to bringing it to the screen with Platinum as a dynamic, state-of-the-art action thriller." Given his experience with Immortals and 300, he does at least know something about making big films work…