Legendary Pictures has obtained the film rights to one of the most critically-acclaimed and best-selling new comics to come along in years, ‘Bitter Root’. Published by Image Comics, ‘Bitter Root’ was created by former ‘Power Man and Iron Fist’ team David F. Walker, and Sanford Greene, with Chuck Brown, and chronicles the adventures of a family of African American monster hunters, set during the Jazz Age of Harlem in the 1920s.
Developed by artist Greene and writer Brown, ‘Bitter Root’ was concocted as a mixture of “hoodoo magic, African-American culture of the Jazz Age, and the noir possibilities of post-WWI New York City.” While they had a general idea, it wasn’t until Greene recruited Walker that this world was solidified.
Bitter Root is set in 1924 against the vibrant backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance where a family of once-great monster hunters is the only line of defense that can protect New York City from an unimaginable evil that is approaching — an invasion by hideous monsters that were once human beings before they were transmogrified by a supernatural force feeding off of prejudice, spite, and bigotry. By all appearances, the Sangeryes family is not up for the challenge. After generations of tracking, trapping, and curing the monsters, the few surviving members of the Sangeryes line are dispirited and divided over their traditionally merciful tactics. The family must overcome the wounds of the past to have any hope of thwarting the supernatural invasion.
Walker, Greene, and Brown will serve as executive producers on the film, along with Big Machine’s Sean Owolo. Legendary’s Jon Silk and Disney Hall will oversee the project.
The first issue of ‘Bitter Root’ was released in November and was an immediate sell-out with a second printing ordered within days of its street date. Critics and readers have heaped praise on the innovative story. The fifth issue was released last week.
Are you a fan of the comics? Are you excited to see what Legendary can do with it?
Check back for updates as they arrive.
Source: Deadline
