Superhero movies are all the rage these days, with comic book properties being bought up left and right by studios looking for the next big franchise. But comics are a lot more than just superhero stories and there are more publishers than just Marvel and DC. Now the latest comic book project from New Line Cinema has nothing to capes and masks. And they've tapped Andrea Berloff, co-writer of Straight Outta Compton, to pen the script for an adaptation of the limited series, The Kitchen.
According to The Tracking Board, Andrea Berloff will write a script based off the Vertigo limited series The Kitchen, written by Ollie Masters and illustrated by Ming Doyle. Berloff was nominated for an Academy Award for her work on the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton. The Kitchen is a mob drama, but with a spin: the main characters are women who take over the Hell's Kitchen mob after their husbands are sent to prison. There is no news on a cast or director for the adaptation yet, but Berloff's involvement and the subject matter of the movie make me hopeful that some real A-list talent will get involved.
The Kitchen is a gangster drama set in 1970's New York City when drugs and crime ruled the city. The Irish mob owned Hell's Kitchen and brought terror and violence throughout the neighborhood. Jimmy Brennan and his crew were some of the hardest thugs around, but when they are all sent to prison, their wives - Angie, Raven and Kathy - will step up to keep the "business" running. Once they get a taste of a life filled with power and heavy cash flow, the women get addicted and won't give up their new found power so easily.
The Kitchen puts a spin on the classic male dominated gangster drama by focusing on the women. Yes, there are plenty of female characters in mafia flicks, but usually as wives, mothers, daughters, or mistresses. They may be strong characters, but it's always the men who hold the power and have the final say. The Kitchen refreshingly turns that on its head and gives the women a chance to cut off horse heads, throw people in rivers, and whatever else it is the mob does.
Andrea Berloff other work includes a script for Blood Father, starring Mel Gibson which is set for release later this year. She's also in the development of The Legend of Conan, which would see Arnold Schwarzenegger return to the role as an older Conan. Ollie Masters is an up and comer in the comic world. He's written the series Snow Line for Boom! Studios and will be writing a prequel comic to Sons of Anarchy featuring an 18-year-old version of Charlie Hunnam's character Jax Teller.
There's no release date for the adaptation of The Kitchen, but we'll make sure to keep you guys updated as more information becomes available.
