Ex Machina, Brian K. Vaughan and artist Tony Harris, is finally moving forward as a feature film. But that won’t be the title.
So as not to be confused with the 2015 Alex Garland film, the movie will be called The Great Machine, taken from the superhero name of main character Mitchell Hundred. Writers Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel have been hired by Legendary Entertainment to adapt the series into a film, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The series was previously set up at New Line before the rights reverted back to Vaughan and Harris, who then looped it into a deal with Legendary.
In the comic, which began in 2004 and ran for 50 issues, Hundred was the world’s first and only superhero who has the ability to communicate and manipulate machines. However, instead of putting the emphasis on him being a superhero, the comic focused mainly on Hundred’s political challenges and exploits, which included becoming the Mayor of New York City post-9/11. The movie will reportedly split the difference and “revolve around Hundred dealing with a threatened political career when the source of his powers returns to claim its debt.”
As for Waterhouse and Shrapnel, they’ve quietly built a nice little resumé over the past few years. They wrote biopic Race, about Jesse Owens; postwar drama The Aftermath, starring Keira Knightley; political thriller Seberg, with Kristen Stewart in the title role; and have reportedly contributed to projects such as Captain Marvel, Edge of Tomorrow 2, and Snake Eyes. It’s a body of work that shows an ability to handle serious topics with a blockbuster touch, which is exactly what The Great Machine needs.
No word on when we can expect the adaptation in theatres but if the script is being written now, that’s just one step of many.