Alright comic book geeks – another major franchise is headed to the movies. This time not only do you get to compare the film with the source material, but also with the television series of the same time, as Top Cow’s Witchblade gets optioned for a big screen release.
Variety reported today on plans to bring the comic book into the movies, courtesy of Platinum Studios, Top Cow Productions, and Arclight Films, making Witchblade the latest comic book adaptation on a pretty full slate for Platinum Studios, including Atlantis Rising and Cowboys and Aliens. Obviously Witchblade is immediately more recognizable than the others Platinum has planned, with a world of potential for the movie.
The comic book story centers around a magical gauntlet which endows the user special powers. One female is “chosen” in each generation to don the jewel-encrusted glove. In 2000, that “chosen” woman was played by Yancy Butler, who I would be more than happy see return to the role, especially if the movie version takes the character down the… um, less attired motif of the comic (in the two year series Butler was pretty covered up, especially considering how the character has frequently been rendered in comic book form). Even if Butler isn’t used as the main character, it would be cool to see her in a cameo of some sort as a previous wielder of the blade.
A release date hasn’t been disclosed yet, but apparently Australia is already being looked at for potential shooting locations, with an eye towards September to start production on the project.
