Warner Bros. is close to finalizing a seven-figure film deal for the movie adaptation of Rob Liefeld’s comic series Avengelyne, with Margot Robbie eyeing the title role.
The news came from a Deadline report today, which IGN understands to be accurate. Actress and Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde is set to direct Avengelyne, and Poor Things writer Tony McNamara will write its screenplay. Deadline also reports that Avengelyne will be produced by Robbie’s production company LuckyChap, which is also producing Robbie’s forthcoming Monopoly film.
We first learned about Avengelyne’s film adaptation a month ago from Variety, although it wasn’t reported at the time that Robbie might star as Avengelyne. When reached by IGN, Warner Bros. had no comment on today’s Deadline report. Robbie’s representatives did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Avengelyne is an Image Comics series first serialized in 1995 by Leifeld and Cathy Christian. The series follows a fallen angel who battles demons on Earth with her super strength to prevent Armageddon.
Liefeld’s journey to getting a big-screen adaptation of Avengelyne has been a decade-long endeavor. According to a 2013 The Hollywood Reporter article, former Mandalorian actress Gina Carano was being eyed for the role. Although the project hadn’t confirmed a writer or director, it was reported that the film’s tone would be akin to Kate Beckinsale’s dark Underworld franchise.
In a statement to Variety, Leifeld excitedly recounted his meeting with Wilde and Robbie for this current iteration of the project, and expressed his gratitude for having his comic book series adapted to the big screen.
“This incredibly humbling journey to bring Avengelyne to life onscreen started through my relationship with super-producer Simon Kinberg who told me he had a perfect fit for the material and asked me to trust him,” Liefeld said. “Next thing I’m meeting with Margot Robbie and Olivia Wilde and the connection was electric! They told me that they wanted Tony McNamara to write it, and after a pair of meetings Tony is onboard and things could not be more exciting. It’s all a result of Margot, Olivia and Simon working their magic to assemble this incredible team of creatives, all intent on creating a cinematic experience like no other!”
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
