Ryan Coogler is set to produce a film adaptation of Mattson Tomlin’s comic book series “A Vicious Circle,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project, described as “John Wick meets Looper,” is being developed by Universal Pictures, with Tomlin also penning the screenplay.
“A Vicious Circle,” created by Tomlin in collaboration with artist Lee Bermejo, follows Shawn Thacker, a future assassin locked in a time-traveling battle with his only equal. Each kill propels them through various historical eras, from 22nd-century Tokyo to 1950s New Orleans to the Cretaceous period. The series, published by BOOM! Studios, has been a commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies of its first two issues and earning two Eisner Award nominations.
Coogler, known for his work on the “Black Panther” films, will produce the movie through his Proximity Media banner, alongside Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler. BOOM!’s president of development, Stephen Christy, will also serve as a producer. Executive producers include Rebecca Cho and Zetra Evans from Proximity, and Adam Yoelin from BOOM! Studios, with Mette Norkjaer as a co-producer. Ryan Jones, Universal’s senior vice president of production development, will oversee the project for the studio.
Tomlin, who previously wrote the Netflix action film “Project Power,” is deeply involved in the screen adaptation of BOOM!’s properties. He is currently writing the script for “BRZRKR,” a comic co-created by Keanu Reeves, and is preparing for the release of “Terminator Zero” on Netflix. Additionally, Tomlin is co-writing “The Batman Part II” with director Matt Reeves and is attached to HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spinoff “Aegon’s Conquest.”
Proximity Media is busy with several other projects, including an untitled supernatural thriller starring Michael B. Jordan for Warner Bros., and the Marvel miniseries “Ironheart.” They also co-produced the documentary “Stephen Curry: Underrated” with Apple Original Films and A24, as well as the Hulu documentary “Homeroom” and Onyx Collective’s “Anthem.”
BOOM! Studios is simultaneously developing other adaptations, including a live-action series of the spy thriller “Butterfly” for Amazon MGM Studios and the animated series “Hex Vets & Magic Pets” for Nickelodeon.