Conforming to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, motion picture production giant Warner Bros. has acquired the feature adaptation of the Black Mask comic series, announced Studio 8 on Thursday. The feature film which is to be named Black is to be co-created by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3. The comic speaks of a world where only Black people have superpowers.
As per reports, Jeff Robinov, Guy Danella, and John Graham will produce from Studio 8 with Black Mask Studio’s Matteo Pizzolo and Brett Gurewitz to serve as producer and executive producer. Creators Osajyefo and Smith are co-producers as well. They are yet to assign a director.
“We became involved in the development of this story over a year ago. Black represents a new generation of storytellers and creators who can accurately tell black stories with the type of care the industry has lacked for decades. The thought-provoking concept caught our attention early on, and we’re proud to play a role in bringing this story to the screen,” said Studio 8 CEO Jeff Robinov to Deadline.
The plot centers on one young man who survives a violent past and realizes that he is part of these extraordinary people. But a secret consortium wants to control these abilities and those who possess them, and he soon finds himself at the center of a war over the future of mankind itself.
The script of the series is written by Bryan Edward Hill, who is a producer on DC’s Titans.
Over a decade ago, Osajyefo came up with the concept for the comic and it gained widespread recognition after its Kick-starter campaign raised over $90,000. Black has launched an entire universe of comics and books that are originally drawn and written by Jamal Igle, Khary Randolph, Jennifer Johnson, Vita Ayala, and Liana Kangas.
“Part of the inspiration for Black came from my experiencing the lack of representation in comics publishing and how that directly relates to the scarceness of black characters. For most of comics’ history, white outcasts have been used as allegories for marginalized groups while claiming to reflect the world outside our window. BLACK strips away this veneer to juxtapose superpowers with race while allowing black people to see ourselves authentically in media and inviting wider audiences into parts of our experience. We’re excited to bring this story to everyone through film and thankful to Studio 8 for believing in it,” said Osajyefo.
