One-man comics empire Mark Millar has made another deal to turn one of his titles into a film. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that producers Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum have nabbed the rights to Empress.
The comic, written by Millar with art by Stuart Immonen, sold out its first issue last month. It explores the world of a woman married to a galactic dictator who decides that she's had enough of being around her evil husband. Using her smarts, resources and the help of a bodyguard, she leaves him, taking their three children with her. But she faces fresh challenges, including the fact that her 15-year old daughter would rather live with her father, her sensitive son is not cut out for inheriting a dictator's rule and her husband is ready to use his armies to hunt her down.
F. Scott Frazier, who wrote xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage (which Roth and Kirschenbaum are also producing) is on board to work on the adaptation. “In terms of pure concept, this is the most ambitious story I’ve ever come up with so it needed the most experienced producers I’ve ever been in business with," Miller tells the trade mag. "Joe Roth is a genuine Hollywood legend and Jeff Kirschenbaum was part of the team that broke every record in the book at Universal last year. Even being on the same poster as these two guys is exciting to me.”
It's just the latest of Miller's titles making their way through the development channels. One of the bigger successes,Kingsman: The Secret Service, has sequel The Golden Circle in production right now, ready for a June 2017 release.