Jake Gyllenhaal has signed on to produce and star in an adaptation of Robert Kirkman‘s comic book, Oblivion Song. The project was previously in development at Universal, but New Republic Pictures have since optioned the title and are developing the adaptation as a feature film.
Kirkman created Oblivion Song with artist Lorenzo De Felici in 2018. The comic takes place a decade after 300,000 citizens of Philadelphia disappeared in a cataclysmic event known as Oblivion. The government made every attempt to recover them, but after many years they gave up. But protagonist Nathan Cole hasn’t, and he continues to make trips each day to find those who remain lost and missing.
Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker of Nine Stories will produce as a part of the banner’s first look deal with New Republic Pictures. Marker said in a statement:
“When faced with a cataclysmic event that permanently alters our lives, what would we choose to save? Just as Kirkman did with The Walking Dead and Invincible, in Oblivion Song he’s created the potential for a franchise that is profoundly entertaining, and the perfect opportunity to explore big questions we’re reckoning with globally.”
As Marker hinted at, there’s clearly hope for a franchise here, as there is with practically every comic book adaptation nowadays. Kirkman’s work has already been adapted into the long-running Walking Dead series (and its spin-offs), while a TV adaptation of his superhero coming-of-age comic Invincible was released on Amazon earlier this year to critical acclaim.
So it’s easy to see why Marker, New Republic, and everyone else involved in the project has high hopes for its future. Let’s see if the initial film is actually good first.
Gyllenhaal’s last on-screen performance was as Mysterio in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, but he’s got some interesting projects coming up. He’ll next be seen starring in Antoine Fuqua‘s remake of German thriller The Guilty for Netflix, before leading Michael Bay‘s thriller, Ambulance.
He’s also slated to portray Robert Evans in Barry Levinson‘s drama Francis And The Godfather, signed on to star opposite Jessica Chastain in an adaptation of The Division, and attached to lead the adaptation of another comic book – Snow Blind for Apple TV+.
So while Gyllenhaal hasn’t been seen on screen since 2019, he’s certainly making up for lost time.
#Peace.Love.OblivionSong
