The success of Wanted – which grossed over $50 million in the States this weekend, despite (or possibly because) being ultra-ultra-ultra-violent – has clued movie studios into the fact that comic book adaptations can be money-spinners, even if there’s not a superhero in sight.
Accordingly, Warner Bros. has snapped up the rights to Hiding In Time, a comic book mini-series which debuted last year, about a unique evolution for the Witness Protection Program: instead of changing witnesses’ identities and moving them to a cul-de-sac somewhere in the sticks, the WPP develops the ability to time travel, placing its witnesses far out of reach in different time periods.
However, no prizes for guessing that it all goes wrong – and when it’s compromised, it’s up to a government scientist to stop a master thief from being creamed by a group of vengeful assassins. And to do so, the duo go on the run through some of the greatest moments in history.
To say that it’s high-concept is an understatement. Empire hasn’t read the Christopher Long/Ryan Winn-created Image Shadowline comic in question – we can’t read everything, folks – but this sounds like it could be a heap of fun, if done right. Not sure about the title, though.
Warners has set writer Beau Thorne – who scribbled the script for John Moore’s Max Payne - to adapt the comic, with Dan Lin producing.