MUMBAI: Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to the Dark Horse Comics graphic novel The Ark to be adapted into a feature film by Original Film’s Neal H. Moritz. The announcement was made by Columbia Pictures presidents of production Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach.
Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson will also produce. The screenplay will be written by Mark Verheiden, the creator of the comic.
Ori Marmur brought the project to Original Film. The Ark first appeared in the anthology series Dark Horse Presents, the innovative comic book that also launched such graphic novels as Frank Miller’s Sin City.
Tolmach said, “While we do not want to reveal too much about where we want to take this project, the idea and the source material are very exciting as we explore what happens when a UFO crashes on earth. Mark is a great writer who is turning out enormously creative screenplays for film and television and as the creator of the comic, there is no one better to develop this movie.”
Moritz said, “I’ve known Mike and Mark for a long time – as the publisher and creator of the source material, they will make the best possible teammates to help us bring the Ark to the screen.”
Moritz is the owner of Original Film, an established feature film and television company. Moritz’s upcoming films include Columbia Pictures’ thriller Vantage Point; the comedy Evan Almighty; I Am Legend, starring Will Smith; Columbia’s romantic comedy Made of Honor, starring Patrick Dempsey; Screen Gems’ Prom Night; and Columbia’s The Green Hornet.
