Jim Starlin’s 1980s cult-classic comic is being developed as a feature film.
Hollywood will be watching with bated breath this August to find out whether Marvel Studios’ risky action-comedy Guardians of The Galaxy will continue the Disney affiliate’s unprecedented hit-streak and maybe turn cosmic space-operas into the new comics-to-film hotness; but Benderspink Productions and Illuminati Entertainment aren’t waiting: They’ve inked a deal with comics legend Jim Starlin – co-creator of Thanos, Gamora, Drax and other prominent characters from Guardians – to develop a feature based on his creator-owned 1980s series Dreadstar.
Initially published 1982 by Epic, an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned material separate from the Marvel Universe, the series followed the adventures of Vanth Dreadstar: Sole-survivor of the entire Milky Way Galaxy. He and his allies Willow the telepath, cyborg wizard Syzygy Darklock, Oedi the cat-man and others traveled a universe locked in perpetual war between Lord Papal’s Church of Instrumentality and The Monarchy.
Because of the original agreement with Epic, the rights to Dreadstar are owned by Starlin himself and not by Disney/Marvel or any of the other studios currently dealing in Marvel properties. Hollywood has come calling before, but this is the first time Starlin has made a deal.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
