Comics
Universal Turning Incredible “Locke & Key” Comic Into A Feature!
Universal has optioned Locke & Key, the absolutely incredible acclaimed supernatural comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, to develop as a feature film, the Hollywood Reporter writes.
“Locke & Key tells of three siblings who, after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home in Massachusetts. They soon discover the house has magical keys that give the bearers a vast array of powers and abilities. However, a devious creature is also after the keys, forcing the family to make a stand against evil.”
The stories expanded to tell a bi-generational coming-of-age tale that encompasses heroism and tragedy, and thrills and chills.
Hill, who is the son of Stephen King and the author of such horror novels such as “Heart-Shaped Box” and the recent “NOS4A2,” won an Eisner for best writer, and the series has twice won the British Fantasy Award for best comic/graphic novel.
Hollywood has been trying to adapt Locke & Key for several years now. Dimension had the screen rights initially, and when they lapsed in 2010, Kurtzman and Orci, the superstar writers whose work includes Star Trek, Transformers and “Fringe”, jumped in.
The property became a TV series, with a never-seen pilot, produced by DreamWorks TV and K/O Paper Products, being shot for Fox TV, which ultimately passed on it (it screened once at the San Diego Comic-Con). The producers tried to shop it around, but budgetary constraints were an issue.
The hope is that the feature film model will give the story the ample canvas it needs.
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Bobby Cohen will produce via their Universal-based K/O Paper Products banner. Ted Adams, the CEO and publisher of IDW Publishing, the company behind the comic, will also produce. Executive vp production Jon Mone and creative executive Jay Polidoro will oversee the project for Universal, while Ben Kim will handle development for K/O Paper Products.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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