Comics and Zombies are In...

[J_UNTITLED]

From The Hollywood Reporter...

Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain have been hired to adapt the Red 5 comic "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction" for Benderspink.

The comic, created by Kevin Grevioux ("Underworld"), follows an elite team of soldiers sent on a covert operation into hostile territory in the Middle East to stop what they soon discover to be a government-created army of the undead. Benderspink's Jake Weiner and Josh Feldman are overseeing the project.

Benderspink continues to mine the comic world for material; it has "Y: The Last Man" in development at New Line, "Pet Robots" at Disney and "The Ghouly Boys" at Mandate.

Blackman and McCain, who are repped by ICM and Circle of Confusion, co-wrote the recently released "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" and wrote and directed "Outlander."

From MTV Splash Page...

At this week’s red carpet for “Coraline,” producer Bill Mechanic revealed to MTV News that he’s already got another project in the works with ties to the comics world — an adaptation of the comic book series “Deadworld.”

“Deadworld” was originally published back in 1987 by Arrow Comics but was recently re-launched by Image in 2005. The storyline features survivors fighting off an apocalypse of zombies, but with the twist that the attacking dead are as sentient and intelligent as the living.

“[It's] a different one for me,” says Mechanic of the project. “I’ve never done anything like it.”

Mechanic, who explained that selling his comic book collection decades ago helped him get his start in Hollywood, explained that he loves to work around the genre, describing “Coraline” author Neil Gaiman and “Torso” author Brian Michael Bendis (another adaptation he’s producing) as two of the industry’s greats. Likewise, “Deadworld” seems to have convinced Mechanic that there’s already a story just begging for the silver screen.

“I’ve always looked for a good story and these guys have created stories that are so visual that you just see the movie. There’s story that needs to be worked out and character that needs to be worked out, but you at least know what you’re going to do.”

Sounds like Mechanic has already the tone of this one down but it’s going to be interesting to learn who he’ll be placing in the helm. With Henry Selick on “Coraline” and David Fincher attached to “Ness” (the working title for the “Torso” adaptation), this one is just crying for an auteur zombie-maker.