Variety is reporting today that Universal has just picked up the film rights for The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft. The movie will be adapted from the four-part comic series, the first of which will hit stores on April 8th.

When an ancient curse transforms young H.P. Lovecraft’s darkest nightmares into reality, the timid writer becomes both an unwitting god of destruction and the only person who can battle the evil he’s unleashed into the world. One part biography, one part horror pulp, one part fugitive thriller and you have… one weird tale indeed.

The plot may seem familiar, and indeed, it’s not the first time a comic with this story has been produced. A few years ago a Vertigo Lovecraft book was released that also suggested that his stories were drawn from personal experiences, and there’s also the fantastic Graphic Classics book which includes adaptations from many of his stories.

The script for this film is being written by the comic’s co-creator Mac Carter, who will also produce alongside his partner Jeff Blitz.

So- another Lovecraft film? Fantastic. We already have del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness adaptation on the way from Universal, but we can always use some more. But the film is being picked up with the intent for Ron Howard to direct- something I can’t really see. It’ll easily be the darkest movie he’s ever created. What do you guys think?