Arcana Makes Deal for 5 Film Adaptations
Arcana Studios has optioned five of their titles to Legacy Filmworks in a co-production deal that also involves production-finance group Bron Management according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Paradox, starring Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) will be the first of the quintet to reach the cameras. Brenton Spencer (Stargate: Atlantis) will direct the story of a “homicide cop on a parallel Earth ruled by magic who investigates a series of murders committed by a previously unseen means: the power of science” The script adaptation has been handled by the 2005 miniseries writer Christos Gage and his wife, Ruth Fletcher Gage (The Breed).
Deboragh Gabler will producing the five films on behalf of the Canadian based production company, working alongside Bron’s Aaron Gilbert, with Arcana founder-publisher Sean O’Reilly receiving executive producer credentials.
Chopper, produced for Arcana through Martin Shapiro’s Night Owl Studios, was originally developed for Platinum Studios before moving to Arcana. Written by Shapiro, it will be illustrated by Martin Montiel and Rodney Ramos with a cover from Tony Mauro. The first issue was previewed at Comic-Con International in July but has not been scheduled or solicited by Arcana nor does it appear on their website. Night Owl’s site describes the premise as:
“Combining the chills of supernatural horror with the excitement of action movie gun battles and car chases, the first issue of Chopper reveals the origin of the chopper-riding Angel of Death and how he became a headless ghost. Jeremiah Payne, an ex-outlaw biker turned fanatical soldier of God hunts down and exterminates evil sinners. He meets his match when he runs into a headstrong cop determined to bring him down.”
The third property is Sundown, which was a three-issue miniseries from writer Jay Busbee and artist Jason Ossman.
Arcana’s website offer this synopsis:
“Arizona territory, 1880. Someone’s killing preachers, and New York City reporter Will Dalton heads west to cover the story. Will and his brother Clay, a small-town sheriff, begin digging for the truth behind the murders. But they soon find themselves on the front lines of a horrific war for the very soul of America! Sundown is a terrifying three-issue tale of the Old West where sometimes, dying just means you’re switching sides.”
Arcana was founded in 2004 and has comics, webcomics and custom comics produced ever since. They made a splash this fall as the home for the comic book in carnation of The Greatest American Hero, which was released last week. They also produced Red Lotus, animated webisodes for Spike TV.
In the past, the holiday season is a time for at least one big box office hit, and while the period between 2001 and 2005 may have been taken over by Peter Jackson’s army of Orcs and giant gorillas, the pattern has been consistent. This year, however, you shouldn’t expect to be blown away, or even spend the money on admission with an adaptation of a literary or Hollywood classic, as Frank Miller and his motley crew try to pass off a remake of Will Eisner’s classic “middle-class crime fighter” comic. The film, as a whole, makes very little sense and will bring mostly heartache to fans of the source material, and on an original level, the movie jumps around both in mood, story, and even dialogue so much that it makes it feel like you’ve been watching [[[Sin City]]] fan film for over 90 minutes.
TheCW4Kids’ Saturday morning lineup has been solidified by 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. The revised lineup, incorporating shows moving from Fox, will kick off on January 3, 2009, 
Archie Comics has provided us with a first look at this week’s Archie #592
Sci Fi Channel has given a green light to Ghost Hunters: New Generation, a six-episode spin-off set at a college. According to 
Following the Golden Globe nominations, Heath Ledger has received another posthumous nod for his role as the Joker, this time from his peers in the Screen Actor’s Guild. He’s nomination once more alongside Robert Downey, Jr. who is recognized for his hilarious turn in Tropic Thunder. On the television side, William Shatner is once more honored for his work in the final season of Boston Legal.
Navarre Corporation announced Thursday that BCI Eclipse Company, its wholly-owned subsidiary, will shut down its licensing operations in connection with the implementation of a restructuring plan. This restructuring will include a workforce reduction, a write down of assets and the incorporation of BCI’s exclusively distributed DVD business into the company’s distribution segment.
Keith DeCandido is known throughout the fan community as one of the best writers of media-related fiction in both the novel and graphic world. While primarily recognized for Star Trek, he has also written fiction based on Supernatural, CSI: NY, and Farscape, among others. His novel of John Crichton’s adventures, House of Cards, was published in 2001. Recently, BOOM! Studios picked up the rights to publish new Farscape stories and the show’s creator, Rockne S. O’Bannon, will plot the first one with a script by Keith and art by Tommy Patterson. After some delay, the first issue will be in stores on Wednesday/ ComicMix briefly spoke with Keith about the show and how he got involved in the new stories.
Marvel provided us with the cover and pages from Mighty Avengers #21, written by Dan Slott and drawn by Young Gun artist Khoi. The issue is described as beginning a bold new era for the Mighty Avengers. Spinning out of Dark Reign, the Mighty Avengers have an all-new line up and an all-new missionm, guest starring the New Avengers, Dark Avengers, Young Avengers and Classic Avengers.
Criminal investigation meets Greek mythology when current primetime television stars David McCallum and Marg Helgenberger assume the voices of Zeus and Hera, respectively, for Wonder Woman, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 films, débuting March 3 in multiple formats.
