Johnny Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, already has its script and an impressive lead actor (namely, A-list leading man Depp) tagged for the live-action adaptation of Arvid Nelson and Eric Johnson's comic book series "Rex Mundi." In their search for a "Rex Mundi" director, the bar is remaining as high for the talent behind the camera as it is in front of it.
According to Infinitum Director of Development Sam Sarkar, the studio wants a talent on the level of "Watchmen" mastermind Zack Snyder to bring the Dark Horse series to the big screen.
"We really need to find a guy who has that kind of visual style -- not unlike Zack Snyder," Sarkar told MTV News. "You need a guy that’s that kind of visionary to do 'Rex,' because it’s a really visually complex world."
Sarkar is currently working on an adaptation of "Calibur," the Radical Publishing's comic book series he created, and he has high expectations for whoever gets the job of envisioning "Rex Mundi" for film. When asked who he envisioned helming "Rex Mundi," Sarkar didn't hesitate to name-drop the director who has already tackled graphic novels by luminaries Frank Miller and Alan Moore.
"The challenge with 'Rex' is that its world is going to be, visually, really different," Sarkar explained. "Even the comics that Arvid and Eric originally did, which were sort of an alternate Paris of the 1930s... we’ve gone even further out with it, in an interesting way, with the adaptation from Jim [Uhls], who did 'Fight Club.'"
The thriller, set around mysteries of the Knights Templar and Holy Grail, has had a long road to get to where it's at now. As Nelson blogged here on Splash Page, even though "Mundi" beat "The DaVinci Code" to publication, Dan Brown's explosion of popularity initially eclipsed the comic in Hollywood.
Sarkar remains confident with where the project is at now, though.
"These things are so big, you just want them to come together when all of the elements are right," he said. "You can’t jam them together."
Who would you like to see direct "Rex Mundi"? Do you think Johnny Depp is a good choice to star? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!