Those who think superhero films have become a predictable series of tropes might want to take notice of Hollywood’s latest comic book deal. Universal Pictures has announced that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have signed on to adapt Invincible from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.
Created by Kirkman and artist Cory Walker, Invincible is published through Image Comics and is the writer’s longest-running series aside from TWD. The series follows young Mark Grayson as he discovers the super-powered legacy handed down from his alien father, the iconic hero known as Omni-Man. Mark tries to balance being a teenager and a protector of the Earth, which means everything from falling in love to fighting off alien invasions.
That might sound a fairly cliché, but Invincible has garnered acclaim for using its brightly colored characters to turn familiar comic book tropes on their heads, subverting the very genre to which it consistently pays homage. It’s also known for its exceptionally gory fight scenes, so expect this adaptation to almost certainly aim for an R rating.
Rogen and Goldberg will direct, write, and produce the adaptation, with Kirkman producing alongside his Skybound Entertainment cohorts David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst. The filmmaking duo is currently working on the TV movie Future Man for Hulu and the comedy series Singularity for FX. Their only feature-length joint directorial efforts to date are This Is the End and The Interview, while they’ve dipped their toes into the comic book world with AMC’s Preacher series.
“No matter how much damage it causes our bodies, minds, and our most intimate relationships with those we love,” Rogen and Goldberg said in a joint statement (via The Hollywood Reporter), “we will not rest until Invincible is as great a movie as it deserves to be.”
