Let’s try this again.
Variety tells me Luc Besson’s production company, EuroCorp has just bought the film rights for a long-running series of graphic novels, Les Adventures Extraordinaires d’Adele Blanc-Sec. But that’s not all. Besson is looking to position these books as a new franchise for his company, as they are planning at least three films. He’s not wasting time either, as the report says they are aiming for a 2009 release for the first film.
The Adele Blanc-Sec books are certainly an intriguing concept; they follow our heroine, Adele Blanc-Sec, as she is chased around World War I-era Paris by various baddies, including, in a nice twist, a few monsters. Curious parties can check out the series’ web site for a taste of the art style, with which I am quite taken. They also might like to know English transalations of the first five books are available, and you should be able to find the entire series through domestic sellers (like Amazon Marketplace)
This’ll be EuropaCorp’s second running franchise, as they still have a couple Besson-helmed sequels to Arthur and the Invisibles in the pipeline. Unfortunately, considering the first of those sequels is also set for 2009, it isn’t likely Besson will take on directing duties. That’s bad news for folks in the US, as most EuropaCorp films not directed by Besson never see theatrical release here. And even those that do make it over here are almost exclusively in English; my guess is Adele Blanc-Sec will stick with French.
Adele Blanc-Sec wasn’t Besson’s only recent greenlight. They will also soon get started on From Paris with Love, which will be brought to the big screen by Pierre Morel, the man responsible for the exhilarating District B-13 and the upcoming Liam Neeson thriller Taken. The latter will hit French theaters next month but as of yet has no North American release date.
Morel also worked as cinematographer on a number of films, including The Transporter, Unleashed and, unfortunately, War.