Paul Bettany is in talks to star in the movie adaptation of Priest, based on the Korean comic published in America by Tokyopop. The book is apparently a horror western; the film, according to the Hollywood Reporter, will be set in a world
ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampire and follows a
warrior priest (Bettany) who turns against the church to track down
a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece. From what Wikipedia tells me this is a big difference from the source material, and encyclopdically informs me ‘No fallen angels or zombies are mentioned which are central to the plot of the manhwa so it is looking disappointing to fans.’
I can see why that stuff was left out – the director of Priest, Scott Stewart, recently shot a movie with the same lead actor that features fallen angels and zombies. Legion (no relation to all the 9th Legion movies we’re getting these days) shot last year in the deserts of New Mexico (man, talk about coincidences: I’m back to New Mexico tomorrow for another set visit) and will be released in January. 2010. But I guess Screen Gems likes the picture well enough; while they’re keeping Legion on a shelf for a year, they’re making Priest with Stewart.