Steven Spielberg, the most influential blockbuster director of all time, will join the comic book movie fray with a film adaptation of DC’s Blackhawk war comics.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Spielberg’s frequent collaborator David Koepp will write the screenplay for the film, which Spielberg will produce and may direct after he has completed work on the as-yet-untitled fifth Indiana Jones movie.
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“We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg‘s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure,” said Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich. “We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing Blackhawk to movie audiences worldwide.”
Like the recently-announced New Gods movie from Ava DuVernay, it seems likely that Blackhawk will have little or no ties to the interconnected DC superhero universe, and will largely exist in its own space, giving its name filmmaker room to move.
The Blackhawk Squadron, ace pilots, spies, and combatants, first appeared in 1941 in Quality Comics publications. They were created by Chuck Cuidera, Bob Powell, and Will Eisner. Originally they were an international group led by an American called Blackhawk; later, the Blackhawk Squadron would become a more egalitarian group where the heroes were all “Blackhawks.” Lady Blackhawk, a woman named Zinda Blake, was brought from her original World War II setting to the current-day DC Universe as part of the Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time crossover in 1994 and became a supporting character in books like Guy Gardner: Warrior and Birds of Prey.
The property was bought up by DC with the rest of Quality Comics’ intellectual property in 1957.
The property has been adapted before, but it has been quite some time: In 1950, there was a radio show, followed by a 15-part film serial in 1952 starring Michael Fitzmaurice as Blackhawk.
The Wonder Woman movie seemed to be setting up the Blackhawks’ presence in the DC Extended Universe, with Said Taghmaoui implying that his character Sameer might be a Blackhawk pilot. Fan speculation also named Charlie and Chief as potential Blackhawks.
Blackhawk Security is a security firm in the “Arrowverse” of CW DC shows, which appears to operate both a paramilitary organization seen in Arrow and an armored car company spotted on The Flash.
Spielberg’s most recent directorial effort, Ready Player One, has earned almost $500 million at the global box office since its release on March 29. In the past, he has drawn the ire of comic book fans for saying he believes that comic book movies will “go the way of the Western.”
He will produce the film under his Amblin Entertainment banner, while former Warner Bros. executive Sue Kroll will also have participation in the movie.
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Image Credit: DC
