Hawk-a-a-a! Steven Spielberg is adapting the DC Comics series Blackhawks for the big screen, his latest project with Warner Bros. following Ready Player One. According to Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker is producing the adaptation, “with an eye toward” directing. While this is Spielberg’s first foray into comic book universes, it’s a genre with which he’s very familiar: a World War II-era action-adventure film about a squadron of ace pilots led by a mysterious man known as Blackhawk to fight superpowered threats.
“It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bring Ready Player One to the screen,” Spielberg said in the official announcement. “They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have a tremendous history in this genre. I am excited to reunite with them on Blackhawk.” He will be working off a screenplay by frequent collaborator David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull as well as the forthcoming fifth film).
“We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure,” said Warner Bros. Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich. “We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing Blackhawk to movie audiences worldwide.”
Originally published in 1941 by Quality Comics (and picked up by DC Comics in 1957), the Blackhawks have interacted with Batman, Superman, and more over the decades. The series has been revived several times, including in the 1980s when Spielberg himself had expressed interest in a movie adaptation. Most recently, Blackhawk was rebooted as part of the New 52 run in 2011.
