20th Century Fox has been contributing to the superhero craze for more than 10 years with their X-Men and Fantastic Four movies. While those franchises won’t be ending anytime soon, the studio is now looking outside the world of superheroes for their next comic book project, and they’ve picked quite a badass property. Boom! Studios' fantasy series, Lumberjanes, will be made into a live-action move as a "priority project" for the studio.
The Wrap reports that Fox has hired Will Widger, writer of the 2014 Black List script The Munchkin, to pen the Lumberjanes adaptation. Boom! Studios executives Ross Richie and Stephen Christy, along with Adam Yoelin, will produce the film, and 20th Century Fox's Kira Goldberg and Ryan Jones will oversee the project for the studio. No casting or release date information has been disclosed yet, but according to the article, the studio and producers are thinking of female directors to helm the film once the script is finished.
Originally written as an eight-issue miniseries, strong sales and positive reviews led to Lumberjanes, created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Noelle Stevenson (with Brooke A. Allen illustrating), and described as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls," becoming an ongoing series after only its second issue. The book follows a group of five girls -- Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley -- who attend a summer camp and are collectively referred to as Lumberjane Scouts. The protagonists find themselves dealing with supernatural monsters and other mystical forces at the camp, all while trying to earn various merit badges. The series, which began in 2014, has been nominated for two Eisner Awards, one of which is for Best New Series.
Unlike Marvel and DC, Boom! Studios doesn’t focus on publishing superhero stories, though they did enjoy success with the Mark Waid-penned books Irredeemable and Incorruptible. Along with Lumberjanes, their original series include The Woods, Bravest Warriors, Six-Gun Gorilla, Day Men, and more. They also have the license to properties like Planet of the Apes, Peanuts, Adventure Time, Big Trouble in Little China, 28 Days Later, and many others. Though superhero movies may be dominating at the box office, it’s good to see that an alternative genre comic book story is being adapted for the big screen, especially for those wanting to see more stories led by strong, female protagonists. Let's just hope the movie can capture what makes the series such a fan-favorite.
Although information on Lumberjanes is scarce at this point, we will keep you apprised on any developments concerning the project.
