Nobody ever said getting an indie comic book to the big screen was easy. Unlike established franchises, creator-owned books tend to jump through more than a few hoops and can often see numerous options before realizing their cinematic potential.
Case in point: B. Clay Moore ("Billy Smoke") and Steve Griffin's supernatural detective tale, "Hawaiian Dick." Published by Image Comics, the tropical '50s noir property was picked up by New Line Cinema in 2004 and renewed again in 2006 with director Frank Coraci ("Click") attached to direct. The option has since lapsed, but according to Moore, it's not the end of the story.
"The option on 'Hawaiian Dick' expired (after being renewed) with New Line, so technically it's an available property," Moore told MTV News. "Having said that, there's some work being done behind the scenes to move it forward as a feature film. We'll see where it goes, but there is some momentum."
The project came as far as a full script initially, and Moore hints it could still manifest in a similar way.
"Well, there is a script out there, written by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon ('Freddy vs. Jason,' 'Friday the 13th'). New Line has the script, but it was a sort of action-fueled take on the first Hawaiian Dick mini-series," explained Moore. "It manages to capture most of the essence of the book (and of Byrd, the lead character), but adds enough punch to keep a larger audience happy. That works fine for me."
Even though the live action film hasn't yet panned out as originally planned, since it's in a new phase of moving forward, Moore isn't ruling out any possibilities.
"When I write comics, I initially 'see' the stories in my head as live-action, if that makes any sense. The characters seem flesh and blood," said Moore. "Having said that, there are things I've done that I could see animated. And, really, if someone approached 'Hawaiian Dick' from the right direction, it might be cool to see our unique take on the '50s animated in full color. But that's never really been a consideration."
Like the sound of a '50s supernatural Hawaiian detective film? Who can you see starring as detective Byrd? Sound off in the comments.