Gerard McMurray, the filmmaker behind the Purge prequel, The First Purge, is set to lead the feature screen adaptation of the comic book series, Black.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, McMurray will write and direct the adaptation, which will be produced by Studio 8 and distributed by Warner Bros.
The Black comics were created by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3 and illustrated by Jamal Igle and Khary Randolph. The first issue came out via indie publisher Black Mask Comics in 2016 and takes place in a world where only Black people have superpowers. The original series focused on a man named Kareem Jenkins, who found out he had powers after the police shot him. Following Black, Osajyefo and Smith 3 released the graphic novel Black [AF]: America’s Sweetheart, which centers around a young girl named Eli Franklin.
According to THR, McMurray’s adaptation will focus on a young man who discovers his power after surviving a violent crime, who then finds himself under the attention of a secret society that aims to control the superpowered in order to use them for their own gain.
“Black is a bold and fresh spin on the superhero genre,” McMurray said in a statement. “I fell in love with the colorful world Kwanza and Tim created in the comics, and I’m excited to bring life to a story that entertains and challenges the audience at the same time. Black does just that.”
In addition to directing First Purge, McMurray also directed the Sundance film Burning Sands about the hazing that goes on in fraternities, and is set to direct The Formula, a movie starring John Boyega and Robert De Niro that centers around the racecar community.
No news yet on when the project will head to production, or make it to a theater near you.
