Over the last five years, Jessica Chastain has a made a name for herself in Hollywood acting in multiple genres, from starring in dramas like Zero Dark Thirty and the upcoming Miss Sloane to appearing in sci-fi flicks like Interstellar and The Martian. One of the genres she hasn't touched yet is the comic book movie genre, but that's about to change. Although it may be a long time (if at all) until she jumps into the DC or Marvel worlds, she's now gearing up to star in the upcoming Painkiller Jane movie.
Deadline is reporting that Jessica Chastain has teamed up with Lotus Entertainment and Solipsist Films for a fresh re-telling of Painkiller Jane. As you would expect from someone of her fame level and talent, Chastain will play the eponymous protagonist, and in addition to appearing on camera, she will also produce the project through her Freckle Films production company. It doesn't appear that Painkiller Jane has a director or a writer attached yet. Lotus Entertainment's previous movies include The Grey, A Hologram for a King and The Kids are All Right, while Solipsist Films has worked on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, 100 Feet and Broken Kingdom.
Created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada for Event Comics in 1995, Painkiller Jane follows the adventures of Jane Vasko, a New York City police officer who infiltrated a mob organization. In her original origin story, she was sent to meet with a rival gang member, but she had no idea that an explosive device had been planted on her. The detonation nearly killed Jane, but the mysterious man she had met with was able to revive her and imbue her with incredible healing powers. A later origin changed her near-death experience to accidentally ingesting a poisoned cocktail and staying in a coma, but her abilities remained the same, and afterwards, she became a vigilante. In recent years, Dynamite Entertainment has published comic book adventures starring her.
This movie won't be the first time Painkiller Jane has been explored in live action. In 2005, what was then the Sci-Fi Channel (and is now called Syfy) aired a Painkiller Jane movie, which starred Emmanuelle Vaugier as the main heroine. However, in this version, her real name was Jane Browning, and there were other changes made to her origin and mythology. Two years after the TV movie aired, the same channel followed up with a Painkiller Jane TV series, although this version ignored the events of the movie and starred Kristanna Loken as Jane Vasko. This series was cancelled after its first season, which consisted of 22 episodes. Given the popularity of comic book movies nowadays, one would imagine that Jessica Chastain's Painkiller Jane will try to stay as faithful to the source material as possible, but that remains to be seen.
We'll let you know how the Painkiller Jane movie is progressing as more news comes in, but let us know what you think of Jessica Chasten playing the character in the comments below.
