Fede Alvarez to direct Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips’ Incognito

Incognito a six-issue comic book limited series written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips and it is fantastic.

From the creators of Criminal and Sleeper comes the most insane and evil super-villain comic you’ve ever read! What if you were an ex-super villain hiding out in Witness Protection… but all you could think about were the days when the rules didn’t apply to you? Could you stand the toil of an average life after years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn’t stand it? What would you do then? Incognito – a twisted mash-up of noir and super-heroics

The comic is set in a world in which larger-than-life pulp heroes and villains have existed since the early 19th century. The original super was an escaped convict named Kenneth Lee who went by the name the Black Death. His powers came from a radioactive object which landed in New England over 200 years ago. Other notable supers include the descendants of the soldiers who were chasing him including the Doc Savage-esque “Professor Zeppelin,” the Shadow-esque “Lazarus”. After WWII, the SOS agency created by Zeppelin has kept most stories about the supers out of the news.

The comic deals with former science villain Zack Overkill, who is in the Witness Protection Program after giving testimony against The Black Death. Zack is required to take a drug that eliminates his super abilities and given a job delivering mail in an office.

Trying to escape the boredom of a normal life, Zack experiments with illegal drugs. It quickly becomes obvious they interfere with the power-blocking drug and he once again has his super strength. He begins wearing a mask again and searches for action in the streets and back alleys acting as a vigilante rather than a supervillain to avoid being arrested for violating his parole agreement.

Daniel Casey is writing the screenplay for Sony’s adaptation of the comic, while Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) is attached to direct the film. It is being produced by Chernin Entertainment.

There is lots of potential for this to be a great movie. Here’s hoping that is what we get.

Who would you like to see play Zack Overkill in the film?

Via THR, Wiki