Norwegian writer-director André Øvredal broke through internationally in 2011 when his imaginative feature Trollhunter hit Sundance and later theaters and VOD. Inspired by folk lore of trolls, Øvredal created a genre-blending masterpiece that took elements from fantasy, horror, and mockumentaries to create a fresh and thoroughly fun adventure about a group of college students whose exposé project on bear poaching leads them into the path of legendary monsters. Øvredal offered humor, heart and horror in generous doses along with some spectacular special effects and awe-inspiring monster design. And it seems none of these skills will go to waste on his next big venture.
THR reports Øvredal and Hitman producer Adrian Askarieh are teaming up to spin the comic book Enormous into a transmedia franchise. Created and penned by Tim Daniel and drawn by Mehdi Cheggour, Enormous is set in a world where a cataclysmic ecological event has spawned a wide array of massive monsters that devastate civilization and slam humanity down a bunch of rungs in the food chain.
The graphic novel, which was released earlier this year, focuses on Ellen Grace, a scrappy survivor who is on a quest to save as many children as possible from the jaws of these man-eating beasts. But Øvredal and Askarieh are planning to expand the story through multiple settings and various viewpoints in a web series, TV show, and a feature film. The Enormous comic has recently secured an 18-book arc with 21 Ink Publishing. However, its unknown how closely these stories will relate to Øvredal's projects which will reportedly be in the vein of Cloverfield and Walking Dead in that they'll center on the dynamics of character relationships with the constant threat of monster attacks as a backdrop.
As it's title implies, this is a massive undertaking, but in the new world of media where all formats are more accessible thanks to the internet, I expect we'll see more and more of this kind of franchise building. There are few filmmakers I'd be interested to see heading the charge on this kind of project, but I was really blown away by Trollhunter, from its exhilarating action sequences to its razor-sharp humor, and fascinating troll designs. In one film, Øvredal made it clear how important world-building is to his brand of storytelling, and it's a focus that looks central and crucial to Enormous's success. Beyond being eager to see what monster designs Øvredal will unfold this time around, I'm also intrigued to see how Enormous's shape will shift to best suit its various media adaptations. As a franchise envisioned from the start as being on three different platforms, this could prove a watershed moment.
