Crossed: Garth Ennis horror comic is getting the film treatment

Garth Ennis has written some great, popular comic books over the years, with some of his work including the creation of the books Preacher and The Boys, and fan favorite runs on Marvel’s The Punisher. Preacher and The Boys have both gotten TV series adaptations, and ideas from Ennis’s Punisher books have made it to the screen. Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that the Ennis-created horror comic Crossed is also getting an adaptation, with the independent company Six Studios picking up the rights to make a film based on the series.

Ennis has written the screenplay for the Crossed film, and Six Studios is searching for a director. They’re planning to put together a budget in $2 million to $3 million range for the project… but if the right talent comes on board, the budget could be increased. The hope is that, no matter who ends up taking the helm or starring in the film, Crossed will be heading into production this fall.

Crossed takes place in a pandemic-stricken world, in which those who catch a disease are marked with a cross-like rash on their faces. Those afflicted follow their worst impulses — think a zombie apocalypse, but instead of zombies, these are humans who retain their intellect, but are homicidal maniacs. The screenplay Ennis wrote is said to be based on the first ten issues of the comic, but there’s a lot more source material to pull from if this film were to launch a franchise. There have been more than 200 issues of Crossed comics from various writers and artists.

Carl Choi of Six Studios is producing the Crossed film with Ben Hung of Retro Entertainment and Ken Levin of Nightsky Productions. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Hung and Levin developed the project with Ennis and brought the property to Six Studios. Six Studios’ Jeff Huang is executive producing with Ennis, Carl Amari, and Bill Patterson.

Choi describes the Crossed script as an intimate, human story and the most faithful adaptation of the comics possible. The producer told The Hollywood Reporter that it’s like “Contagion meets The Walking Dead, with hints of Alex Garland’s Civil War, in that it’s a road movie across a ravaged United States.”

Are you a fan of Crossed, and are you glad to hear that it’s getting the film treatment? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.