By Rick Famuyiwa has been selected to write and direct an adaptation of Charles Burns’s Black Hole graphic novel for New Recency and Plan B.
The director’s most notable work is 2015’s Dope, which was a freewheeling comedy caper. The movie was drenched in vibrant streaks of color and filled with good humor and is just about the opposite of everything I’d expect to see from a Black Hole adaptation.
Black Hole is a story that follows a group of disenfranchised youths in the 70’s as they experiment with drugs and sex, and some fall ill to an STD that mutates the body in different ways, making them pariahs from their communities. It’s a dark reflection on an era of freedom and fear, one where no one was sure where experimentation would lead them. It’s sexual, grotesque, gripping, and one of the best pieces of fiction I’ve ever laid eyes on. Rick Famuyiwa is an odd choice to bring this to life.
But that doesn’t mean the movie will be bad. There’s no reason to assume it, since Dope was a really great movie that depicted its period and characters in stunning detail. I just hope Famuyiwa will be able to make the tonal pivot and bring Black Hole to life the way it deserves to be.
No filming or release date has been announced, yet.
‘Dope’ Director Rick Famuyiwa Partners With Plan B, New Regency on ‘Black Hole’ [Variety]
