Six years ago, it looked like Tom Cruise would leap aboard the superhero/comic book/graphic novel train in an adaptation of DC Comics’ Sleeper. Warner Bros. were a part of the plan and they were eyeing Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to bring the series to life. It needs no saying, but this did not come to pass. Time went by and the better part of us got caught up in the hysteria that was Iron Man and eventually, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.
Now, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck — alternatively known as the Good Will Hunting guys or Jason Bourne and Batman — are teaming up to produce a new adaptation of Ed Brubaker’s comic. And just like a loyal sidekick, Warner Bros. is back on board too. Bringing the story to life with their words will be the screenwriting duo of Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and David Wiener (The Killing).
For those unfamiliar with the source material, Sleeper follows an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass it on through skin contact. He’s then hired by a spy agency to infiltrate a group of yes, bad guys, before he finds himself falling for a lady named Miss Misery.
While there’s been plenty of chatter about Warner Bros.’ plans to expand the DC universe on the big screen, it doesn’t appear that they’re ignoring other comic book material, which is nice to see. Of course, now it’s a matter of playing the waiting game to see how long development will take for Sleeper.
‘Til then, Marvel is plenty happy to fill the void.
