Amid the competitive situation, Variety has learned that Netflix has given a series order for the film adaptation of Charles Burns’ graphic novel “The Black Hole.”
The project is from New Regency, which will co-produce it with Netflix. Jane Schoenbrunn will develop and direct the graphic novel for television. In addition to Burns, Plan B will serve as an executive producer on New Regency alongside Erin Levy, Yariv Milchan, Arnon Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, and Laura Delahaye.
The official logline states:
“The seemingly perfect small town of Roosevelt is haunted by an old myth. If you have sex at a young age, you will be infected with the ‘bug’, a virus that literally turns you into a ‘monster’ from your worst nightmares. Isn’t it crazy? That’s what Chris always thought. After one reckless night at the beginning of her senior year, she discovers that she is infected. Now she is thrown into the woods to live with other infected people. A horrifying new threat emerges: a serial killer who hunts them down one by one.
This is the latest attempt to adapt “Black Hole” for the screen, but the first such attempt on television. Numerous studios and creative teams have attempted to produce a film version, but none have ultimately gone ahead. Most recently, in 2018, Dope director Rick Famuyiwa was tapped to write and direct a film version produced by New Regency and Plan B. The graphic novel was originally published from 1995 to 2005, with a complete collection released the following year.
Schoenbrunn recently wrote and directed the A24 film I Saw the TV Glow, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. They are also known for the film “We’re Going to the World’s Fair” and the upcoming feature “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” the latter of which is also a Plan B film.
He is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Jackoway Austen Tierman.
New Regency’s recent TV shows include “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” on Amazon, the “Malcolm in the Middle” revival on Disney+, and the upcoming Netflix version of “Man on Fire” starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The company also produces films such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Revenant,” “The Night Is Dead,” and “Heat.”
