One of the only good things I've seen come out of Hollywood's latest obsession with vampires was a reduction in frantic conversations over which comic book characters were going to get a movie next. But it couldn't last. Not only is the addiction to giving every major character their own franchise still alive and well, it's gone fringe. Yes, even more fringe than Ant Man.
A fledgling group called Pantry Films is teaming up with Persistent Entertainment to bring The Piper to the screen. No, not the openly gay Piper from DC Comics, though I'm sure DC is working hard to get that character woven into the Justice League movies villain roster. No, this Piper hails from the pages of Zenescope comics, a group that sets its graphic worlds in the realm of twisted fairy tales.
According to Zenescope's web site, the Piper series is about a man who seven hundred years ago "took a horrifying revenge and paid the ultimate price for his sins." The evil is unleashed when "a musically gifted but misunderstood high school student named Sean stumbles upon a mysterious book that will give him the ability to finally get back at those who have wronged him the last few years".
The story is not without potential, but this has all the feel of a movie destined for direct-to-home-video. If the covers of the comics are any indication, this looks like it could end up being more like a Van Wilder flick turned horror. Still in the early stages of development, the movie hasn't even been written yet. Executive in charge of development (i.e. Avi Arad clone) Aaron Cruze is working to get a script.
