Mark Millar’s Empress Lands Alice In Wonderland Producer

Comic visionary Mark Millar has had a busy cinematic week. Hot off the news that two of his comics, American Jesus and Supercrooks, will be adapted into feature films, the comic book uber-creator is about to launch another film adaption.

His grand-scale cosmic adventure, Empress, is on its way to the big screen, with the help of producer Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent) and Jeff Kirschenbaum (xXx: The Return of Xander). F. Scott Frazier, who also wrote xXx: The Return of Xander, will script the upcoming picture.

“Nobody creates universes that translate into big movie ideas better than Millar,” said Kirschenbaum. “With Empress he’s raised the bar yet again. Part Star Wars, part Guardians of the Galaxy and part something wholly fresh that only the amazing brain of Millar could spawn.”

Millar commented on the recent news as well, speaking to the experience of the producers who have come on board:

“In terms of pure concept, this is the most ambitious story I’ve ever come up with so it needed the most experienced producers I’ve ever been in business with. Joe Roth is a genuine Hollywood legend and Jeff Kirschenbaum was part of the team that broke every record in the book at Universal last year. Even being on the same poster as these two guys is exciting to me.”

For those unfamiliar with Empress, it follows the adventures of the wife of an intergalactic dictator, as she seeks to escape his sadistic violence and tyrannical rule. The official description reads as follows:

“Imagine you’re married to the worst bad guy from your favorite sci-fi movie. An alien dictator feared throughout the universe, who will kill you if you leave, but you need to escape for the sake of your three children. All you have are your wits, your bodyguard, and three guns.”

Generally speaking, Millar’s stories are full of rich characters and inventive twists on established themes. His take on a Ming the Merciless character, from the perspective of a wife or concubine, is another intriguing take on conventional science-fiction sagas and will no doubt make for a great feature film.

With two talented producers now on board, you can bet that development on Empress will start moving along at a quick pace. And, as soon as we hear more, we’ll be sure to let you know.