We recently got word that a live-action movie based on Rob Liefeld's fantasy/horror comic series Avengelyne was in development, and we have some exciting updates courtesy of Deadline.
As previously reported, the project will be directed by Olivia Wilde (Don't Worry Darling), with LuckyChap, the company Margot Robbie runs with Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara, and Simon Kinberg, on board to produce. Now, we've learned that Warner Bros is negotiating to close a seven-figure film-rights deal for the movie, and Poor Things scribe Tony McNamara has signed on to pen the script.
The trade also confirmed that Robbie is interested in playing the title role, but it sounds like her decision will be script-dependent.
An earlier version of the movie was in the works back in 2013, with former The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano attached to star.
The comic was created by Liefeld and Cathy Christian, and focuses on a fallen angel who battles the forces of evil. “Avengelyne resonated so powerfully with the audience because her story of redemption is one that is so relatable," Liefeld has previously said of the character. "A fallen angel, sentenced to redeem herself by serving humanity, Earth is a foreign environment to her, she must adapt in order to save herself as well as mankind. Her dilemma provides humor amidst the larger plot engine driving her journey.”
Deadline's synopsis reads: "Avengelyne is an angel who fights the forces of evil and often finds herself face-to-face with demons and monsters. She was the most feared warrior in Heaven’s Warhost, having single-handedly broken into Pandemonium, the outer fortress of Hell, to confront the Devil himself. She is a fallen angel, banished from Heaven by God after being tricked into questioning his love for humans. Avengelyne was stripped of all her angelic abilities, other than her great strength and her blood, which, once extracted from her body, could be used as a weapon or a miracle once empowered by quoting verses from the Bible. Avengelyne uses her powers to fight demons on earth and is being groomed to be humankind’s last hope in a coming Armageddon."
Wilde made her name as an actress before garnering attention with her directorial debut, the 2019 coming-of-age feature Booksmart. She went on to helm divisive 2022 thriller Don’t Worry Darling, and is next due to direct Universal’s Naughty, which LuckyChap is also producing.
Robbie is, of course, known for playing Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey and the Suicide Squad movies, and recently raised her profile considerably by starring in and producing Greta Gerwig's Barbie.
What do you make of this news? Any Avengelyne fans out there? Drop us a comment down below.