Ryan Coogler teams with Mattson Tomlin for A Vicious Circle adaptation described as John Wick meets Looper

THR reports that Universal Pictures has snagged the rights to A Vicious Circle, a graphic novel series published by BOOM! Studios created by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo. Ryan Coogler is on board to produce A Vicious Circle via his Proximity Media banner, with Tomlin set to write the screenplay.

A Vicious Circle is a “two-hander action thriller about assassins from the future hunting each other through time” which is being described as John Wick meets Looper. Sounds like fun to me.

If you’d like more detail, the graphic novel synopsis has you covered: “Shawn Thacker is a trained assassin from the future who seeks revenge on the only other man with his affliction—each life they take forces them both to involuntarily travel between vastly different past and future eras. Spanning from 22nd century Tokyo to 1950s New Orleans to the Cretaceous Era and beyond, the two mortal rivals are locked in a battle of wills that spans millions of years, all to alter the course of history.“

In a statement, A Vicious Circle co-creator Mattson Tomlin said: “Building this world and characters with my partner Lee Bermejo and our friends at BOOM! Studios has been one of my favorite creative experiences to date. It’s rare to be given so much freedom to say what you want to say and to then see Lee bring the world to life so vividly has been a literal mindblower. I’m so psyched to have the chance to watch our characters leap into yet another reality and a whole new medium with a similar mind-bending approach with the help of our friends at Universal and the wizards at Proximity.“

Co-creator and artist Lee Bermejo added: “Collaborating with an amazing writer and partner like Mattson Tomlin on A Vicious Circle and being allowed by BOOM! Studios to bring that vision to a reality has been one of the most creatively and personally fulfilling of my career thus far. We wanted to create a project that would take viewers on an experience they’d never seen before, and now I’m beyond thrilled to see it take on new life with the visionary folks at Proximity at a fantastic home like Universal.“

Ryan Coogler is currently in production on his untitled supernatural thriller starring Michael B. Jordan for Warner Bros., which is rumoured to be a period thriller involving vampires. In addition to Jordan, the film is also set to star Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, Hailee Steinfeld and more. It’s set for a March 7, 2025 release.