Topline
An independent comic without ties to either the Marvel or DC universes could become the next superhero film to get the big-budget treatment, multiple outlets reported Tuesday, as Margot Robbie eyes the title character in an adaptation of the “Avengelyne” character.
Margot Robbie attends the 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion ... [+]
Key Facts
Warner Bros. is negotiating a deal with LuckyChap, the production company Robbie runs with Josey McNamara and her husband Tom Ackerley, to adapt the "Avengelyne" story from “Deadpool” creator Rob Liefeld, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Robbie is in talks to star as the lead character, Deadline reported without naming a source, with "Don't Worry Darling" director Olivia Wilde at the helm and Tony McNamara of "Poor Things" to write (The Hollywood Reporter said Robbie could serve as a producer).
Representatives for Robbie, Wilde and Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Tuesday.
The Avengelyne character is an angel who was banished from heaven and turned to fighting demons on earth—she appeared in comics by Maximum Press, Awesome Entertainment, Image Comics and Avatar Press through the 1990s.
The character was created by Liefield and also credits Cathy Christian, a model who appeared as Vampirella in the 1990s and later posed as Avengelyne for variant cover images, as a creator.
The Avengelyne character has super strength, can sense the presence of demons and is a trained warrior skilled in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand-combat.
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Key Background
Rob Liefeld was working at Marvel in the early 1990s when he created the Deadpool character with Fabian Nicieza for the comic "The New Mutants." He left Marvel shortly after to found Image Comics, best known for "The Walking Dead," "Kick-Ass" and "Witchblade." It was there he created the Avengelyne character before leaving the company and returning to Marvel. He rejoined Image almost a decade later. In 2016, Twentieth Century Fox released the first "Deadpool" movie starring Ryan Reynolds—in which Liefeld had a cameo. The first two "Deadpool" films made a combined $1.56 billion at the worldwide box office. The third film is set to be released July 26. Earlier this year, Liefeld said he would retire from working on the character and his final Deadpool comic will be released this summer.
What To Watch For
Liefeld will release a memoir called "Robservations" next year.
