Earlier today, Mike The Pike Productions announced that its subsidiary Arowana Media Holdings, Inc., has acquired the worldwide film, television, and streaming rights to Dynamite Entertainment’s Vampirella character, including the other stories and characters of the expanded Vampirella universe of the comics. The character has been written and drawn by dozens of creators in hundreds of issues during her fifty years of publishing history, including a recent, well-received run from writer Christopher Priest which became one of the top-selling stories of her Dynamite tenure. Now, she will move to the screen for the first time since 1996, when Roger Corman produced a micro-budget feature in which The Who’s Roger Daltrey appeared opposite Talisa Soto, in between her two appearances in the ’90s Mortal Kombat movies.
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Over the years and in different publishing incarnations, Vampirella has clashed with Dracula; dodged the murderous intentions of Conrad van Helsing, and fell in love with his son, Adam van Helsing; had some “issues” with her mother Lilith; took a young punk runaway, Sofia Murray, under her wing; and tangled with Fattoni, a sadistic Mafia boss. Vampirella has also made a number of high profile crossover appearances in some of the biggest franchises around: Aliens, Batman, Catwoman, KISS, Witchblade, Red Sonja, and Archie Comics.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to bring this amazing character to screen in a big way,” MIKP CEO and Producer Mark B. Newbauer said in a statement. “Nick Barucci, founder and CEO of the prolific Dynamite Comics, is an incredible visionary with an eye for story, and a talent for integration into the zeitgeist. He and everyone at Dynamite have resurrected this character in a significant way over the past decade and this latest run with Priest feels like it’s just the beginning of her next 50 years and beyond. We are truly grateful for the faith and support of Dynamite, Nick, and their reps, including producer/manager Ford Gilmore of Illuminati Entertainment.”
Newbauer noted that Vampirella isn’t just the longest-running English-language vampire comic, but it’s one that continues to reinvent itself, inject new ideas and new blood, and top itself in terms of sales and critical acclaim, pointing to Priest’s run as “the most successful yet.”
The planned feature film will be Produced by Newbauer of Mike The Pike, Nick Barrucci and Juan Collado of Dynamite Entertainment.
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